Between the Grave and Glory
by MissBreePhoenix
Summary: What happens if AGATB and Twilight were put together and both Kartik and Edward were in love with the same girl? This new girl is in a tough spot isn't she. Story way better than summary. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The first chapter to my my first fanfiction, I'm so excited! I actually got an idea for this from a dream that I had one night after I read a Twilight fanfiction story and rereading A Great and Terrible Beauty. So I hope you all will enjoy it.**

**-I own nothing that belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray. Although I'm sure you can guess which one of the characters is a mix of Bella Swan and Gemma Doyle.**

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**_*~*_****_Prologue*~*_**

I've never really given it much thought as to how my life would be like when I reach

Adulthood. All my life I was destined to up hold a duty to my family and my people.

To be a great and powerful leader and then to one day marry a warrior to continue the tradition of my people and the legacy of my family.

To become the Queen of my world where I must never show weakness and fear to my enemies and to be loved and respected by all.

To forever live with a curse that will be part of me for the rest of my eternal life. To the people of my world they know me as an innocent but to my family they know me as the one who will stop all evil.

But to all the sayings, to all the things I'm destined to become may not come true because everything changes on my sixteenth birthday.

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**_*~*Chapter One*~*_**

_**June 4**_

_**Logan Airport**_

_**Boston, Massachusetts**_

"Do we really have to move, again?"

My dad gives me the same look that he has been giving me for most of my life, which means that he's about to lecture me. "Alanna, you know as well as I do that we have to go if we want them to agree with the Council."

"And I'm sure you'll find it as good there in London as you did here." My mom says with a smile, always supporting him. Her smile is like murder: a warning not to talk back.

For the past three years I've come to love Boston—way more compared to when I was living in Los Angeles or Seattle. It was fun going to baseball games with Dad and my brother, Tom, at Fenway Park, shopping at the malls, hanging out with friends, having snowball fights and enjoying snow days, being normal—but now everything is going to change all because Dad wants England's Other Realm Council to help out with the American Other Realm Council.

The Other Realm is like the Mortal Realm. The Other Realm is filled with mystical creatures such as vampires, centaurs, werewolves, and witches. Our world is equally divided as it is in the Mortal Realm. Each Mortal continent is another Other Realm Council.

One of the things about being a witch means that you must keep undercover from Mortals and not draw too much attention to yourself. Except for when you're the Princess of the Other Realm, your parents are the King and Queen, and the rest of your family was born into royalty.

"But what if they don't agree. I mean, from what I've learned in world history, the British don't really like Americans." I say.

"Yeah but that's between the Mortals. It's not the same in the Other Realm—even if they have to act the part," my older brother, Tom, says.

"Of course you would know. You've lived there longer than I have and you come and go from there just so you can train to become a Warrior." I say.

"Better than staying here in the Mortal Realm and going to school every day. A Mortal school, I should say. _We_ don't need to go to and fully consider their education of any importance because it's pointless." Tom says, putting more emphasis on the "we" just to define who and what we really are.

"You might not think it's so pointless if you actually showed up to school," I snap back.

"Oh, yeah, well, maybe—"

"Thomas and Alanna Marie Brooks enough!" Dad may not be showing it but he's fuming. I can see the irritation in his clear blue eyes. "The last thing I want to do is to have to deal with this arguing between the both of you." My brother and I look at one another and know that we can't continue our conversation because it will just lead up to a point where the both of us are casting spells at each other.

The more I look back and forth between my brother and father, John Brooks, the more I notice how much they look alike. Tom has always been the one who has the same facial features as my father, same dark-brown hair, same height of six-foot-one. He even has Dad's clear blue eyes; they share a smile that shows all of their teeth and their perfect symmetrical dimples. Tom's even as muscular as Dad, too. The only thing I got from Dad was his dark-brown hair but it's still a mixture with my mom's.

"Your father's right. He needs to be fully rested because it's a very long flight. And when we land we must go over to the British Other Realm Council so we can set the agreement. Am I understood?" Mom finishes by giving us a look with her glass green eyes. A look that she knows will make my brother and I understand.

I have those same eyes. Every detail about my mother, Stephanie's, features were passed on to me except for her hair. Mom has red hair, a nice beautiful red, but what is different is that she has gold in there. Gold so beautiful that it shines all the time in the light. I, on the other hand, have red-black hair, which looks mostly dark-brown. But when it's in any kind of high lighting, the red strands show through. Our hair color makes our flawless, porcelain skin pop out.

Dad says I even act like her at times, but I just don't see it. In the Other Realm, other witches, wizards, and every other magical creature there say I'm just as beautiful as her. But no one can out-beat or be compared to my mom's beauty. I don't think even a vampire can beat my mom, and they're suppose to be beautiful.

I'm snapped back from my inner thoughts when Mom calls out, "Alanna, do you understand what I just said?" Her eyes search my own.

"Yes. I understand perfectly, Mom. Sorry for acting out on you guys." I say, meaning every word.

"Good. Now, we are going to be leaving very soon and—"

"Wait. Aren't we suppose to leave at eight forty-five, and it's…." I look down at my phone and realize that it's eight thirty am. Oh, no. "Dude, this so cannot be right! It can't be eight thirty. Where is…" I start to look around, like a lost child would do looking for her mother, but my searching was for someone else. I am interrupted when I hear my brother making kissing noises.

"Ally, we all know that you're waiting on Cullen," Tom says with a smirk on his face. What I wouldn't give to turn Tom into a bug and have the Mortals trying to stomp on him. Or a pen and forget that it will still be in my carry on.

"I _so_ am not doing anything just to see Edward, Thomas." I can feel the heat starting to rise quickly to my face. That's it. I'm definitely turning him into a bug.

"Son, either way he's going to have follow her because he's her Warrior," Dad says matter-of-factly, but I can see the corners of his lips struggling not to turn up.

Here's how it goes: when a witch reaches the age of fourteen, they are assigned a Warrior who is destined to stay with the witch, or their Charge I should say, for eternity. And if the Warrior failed in protecting his Charge, he has to give up his duty as a Warrior. Another thing about Warriors and their Charges is that they always end up together; it's almost like a soul mate thing. Hey, that's how Mom and Dad met.

"All right, you guys, that's enough." My mom, always the voice of reason, comes to my rescue.

"Besides, Tom aren't you going to go see Violet when we land in England?" I say. I can see that my cheeks aren't the only ones turning pink after asking Tom about his Charge, who happens to be one of my best friends.

"Yeah, so, but that doesn't mean I'll see her straight away," Tom says. His iPhone then makes that weird noise that it makes when it gets a text message. I have a feeling I know who it is.

"Oh, she's texting so early, too, how cute." I say.

"Shut up," Tom says, replying to his Charge's text

"All right, you two, cool it already." Dad says.

"Besides, sweetie," Mom says to me, "I think I see Edward and his brother coming over here right now."

I turn in the direction she's pointing and I see him. Edward Cullen, my Warrior/vampire boyfriend. He's so handsome, polite, determined, yet very stubborn and protective. Which is why he's a great Warrior. Edward is like most vampires—impossibly perfect in every way. He always has his bronze hair messy, but it still always looks great on him. He's tall, smart, and muscular from his training—basically the perfect guy. I still remember the first time I met him—Christmas three years ago when my family lived in Seattle. And all thanks to my brother, too, just like how I introduced Tom to Violet.

"Hello, Your Highness." Edward says, by giving me a bow and kissing my hand like a proper gentleman that he—and just about every other guy in the Other Realm—is. I can feel a blush start to creep up to my cheeks.

"Hello, Ed—Mr. Cullen." I say, feeling a little strange about having to address him like that and for him having to address me by the title I loathe.

"And hello to you as well, King John and Queen Stephanie." Edward says, bowing for my parents.

"Yes, hello, Your Majesties." Edward's brother, Emmett, says to the rest of us and bows.

"Hello, guys," Dad says, for the sake of the people crowding around the gate entrance, hoping that no one heard Edward or Emmett call us by royal names. "It's good to see that the both of you have made it here safely."

"And on time, too, because Alanna was starting to freak if Edward didn't show up." Tom says. As if my cheeks aren't pink enough from Edward's kiss, I bet they're even worse now.

"Hey, don't worry, Princess. Eddie here was up until four a.m. thinking about the flight and you all night." Emmett says, laughing. Edward looks away, feeling embarrassed—like me—for what our brothers have just said about us.

"Yeah, thanks, Em," Edward says, glaring at his brother.

"Don't mention it, bro."

"And besides, Em, man, won't you be seeing Carrie real soon in London?" Edward says with a smirk, reminding Emmett about his Charge, who is my other best friend.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. You will be seeing Carrie real soon just like how Tom will see Violet in London as well." I say. "I don't think that you two would want to keep my best friends waiting in London all alone and unprotected because of their Warriors not being there, such a shame."

"Flight 4021, nonstop to London, is now boarding. Flight 4021, nonstop to London, is now boarding," says a woman on the loudspeaker.

"Well, we better get going we've got a flight ahead of us, and the sooner we get on the plane the better." My dad says looking at him watch.

"All right. Does everyone have their tickets?" Mom asks.

"Yes, Mom," Tom and I say, while Emmett and Edward nod in agreement.

"Okay, then, let's go to our new home, guys."

"I call dibs on the window seat," Emmett says.

"Dude, I thought I was going to get the window seat?" Tom says.

"Too bad, I'm getting it," Emmett says with a smirk.

"You ready?" Edward asks, taking my hand.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I say, hoping that he believes that the words are true, even though something in my body seemed to fall onto my stomach when I responded.

"Come on. Let's go."

Good-bye, Boston. I will truly miss you. Actually I think I'll be missing a piece of myself.

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**Did you guess which character was the mix of Bella and Gemma? It's Alanna. Dark hair. Green eyes. No? Let me know what you think. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I own nothing to some of the characters on this story. They are owned by Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray**

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**_*~*Chapter Two*~*_**

"Gosh, I've never realized as to how high up in the air we are," I say.

"Haven't you flown this high before?" Edward asks.

"Well, yes on a plane—which I know we are on now—but never across the Atlantic Ocean."

Edward laughs. He has such a beautiful laugh. "And yet, you're still trying to convince your parents to take you to India for your sixteenth birthday. You do know that you'll have to fly across another ocean just to get there, right?"

"Yes. I did know that, but I was hoping that we could just transport there by magic or something," I say quietly so that no Mortals can hear what we're saying.

"Alanna, you know that Dad is trying to change the rules," Tom says.

"I know that already, Tom. And this conversation doesn't concern you, so just butt out." I say, clearly irritated as to how good my brother's hearing is.

"Hey, I'm just stating a fact, all right? Don't get all bitchy with me about it," he says.

"I'm not being bitchy, Tom."

"Yeah, whatever. Hey, by the way, Ally, have you seen my iPod? I can't find in my bag."

"Isn't your phone also an iPod?"

"Yeah, but there's a movie on there that Emmett and I want to see."

"Well, I don't have it. Just watch it on your laptop," I say.

"Fine, but if I see that you have it you're going to get it." Tom says, hoping to intimidate me.

"Whatever you say, Tom," I say. I turn and see Edward with a huge grin on his face. "What?"

"Nothing," Edward says, still grinning.

"No, tell me. What are you grinning about?"

"However did you get it out of his bag?" I gasp.

"As soon as he had his back turned, I went in and got it." He says laughing. "So what would you like to watch; _Batman Begins, The Simpsons Movie, Hannibal Rising, Blades of Glory, Spider-Man 3_, or _Good Luck Chuck_?"

"I'm in the mood for a good laugh so, _Good Luck Chuck_," I say.

"_Good Luck Chuck_ it is. Hand me your USB cable and laptop please."

I go into my bag and give Edward my stuff so we can watch the movie. Once he's finished, I give him my extra pair of earphones and start watching the movie, without Tom knowing that we have his iPod.

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Once the movie is finished, I decide to go on the Internet and start looking up the school Mom and Dad enrolled me in. Spence Academy for Young Ladies, even the name sounds boring.

"Well, I'm about to go through hell come September," I say.

"Why do you say that?" Edward asks.

"For three reasons; one: it's an all girl school. Two: I have to live at the school. And three: It's a magic school—the type of place that I don't want to go to."

"Well, you know, it says here that the school was founded in 1868 by a woman named Eugenia Spence."

Eugenia Spence. That name sounds familiar, but from where have I heard it before? "Yes, so it can't be a magic school because it's barely one-hundred and forty years old and most magic schools are thousands of years old."

"True, but this would be a good experience for you. I mean you get to learn how to use spells, make potions, fly on a broom stick."

"I already know how to do those things. It's just that this school is different."

"As in how different?" Edward asks.

"As in showing a young lady how to prepare for her season." I say.

I know that back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, young ladies were to go off to some form of finishing school so that they were to be well-groomed and trained to be like a puppet; to know everything in art and music just so they could entertain their husband's guests. And now the only place in the twenty-first century to still do that sort of stuff is the Other Realm.

"I don't see why I have to have a season if…" I already have you.

"If what?"

"If witches already have Warriors," I say as I look away embarrassed.

"But you know that you have to have a season. It's traditional and you have to follow tradition, Ally," Edward says.

"I know. I just wish that I didn't have to though," I say. Throughout my whole life I was to follow tradition; from wearing tiaras and fancy dresses, going to have tea with some ambassadors, Lady of somewhere, countess, or duchess, and balls and dinners. It was fun in the beginning, but now it all seems like work.

"Well, technically, you're still following tradition by being with me and for wanting to go to India for your birthday," He says as a comeback.

He's right though; it is traditional that a witch and any other magical creature that's female goes to any place of her choosing for her sixteenth birthday. Where as a wizard and other male magical creatures would train to become a Warrior when they're six. Mom told me that she went to India for her sixteenth birthday; she even told me that was where she first met my dad. My parents were one of the special few of Charges and Warriors to be assigned to each other later than the age they were suppose to meet.

"True, but you know that I've always wanted to go to India either way, Edward," I say.

"I know that. I still remember when you first told me that you wanted to go to India for your sixteenth birthday. It was your fourteenth birthday, the day I was assigned to be your Warrior," Edward says.

"Wow. I can't believe you actually remembered that," I say. "Two years—I can't believe that we've known each other that long."

"I know neither can I." He turns and looks to see if my parents or brother are looking. Once he knows the coast is clear, he leans in to kiss my forehead, the tip of my nose, and then my lips.

"But you didn't do that on my birthday," I say when I break away from his kiss.

"No, but I would have." He says, giving me my favorite grin.

"Then why didn't you?"

He sighs. "Because it was against the rules to be affectionate to your Charge after knowing her but a day and for not knowing what would happen."

"Oh," was the smartest answer I could think of.

"Now I can, but just not all at one time or else the Council and your parents will think that I'm not focused on my job." Edward says.

"But you're always focused on your job and that's in protecting me," I say.

He smiles at this. "You really think so?"

I nod. "I know so."

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying Virgin Atlantic. This is your captain speaking. We are now making our descent into London, so if you would please fasten your safety belts and turn off all electrical devices, such as your iPods, MP3s, or laptops. And thank you again for flying Virgin Atlantic," says the captain with a heavy British accent.

"I better turn this thing off," I say, taking my laptop from Edward's lap.

"Umm, Alanna? I think that you're going to add a fourth reason to that list of reasons as to why you don't want to go to Spence," Edward says.

"Why? What do you mean?" I ask.

"It's an all uniform school."

"Oh, great."

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**Hmmm how is it that Alanna knows Eguenia Spence's name? Did she hear from someone in the Other Realm? Mortal Realm? And why does she really want to go to India, besides just for her birthday? And why does her dad want to change the rules on magic? The mystery continues, next week (or whenever I post the next chapter) please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The long awaited Chapter Three. I own nothing. The characters that will be featured in this chapter are owned by Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray. I only have credit for five or six characters. But I wouldn't mind keeping Edward or Kartik (who will be come in this story very soon). Thank you and enjoy.**

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**_*~*Chapter Three*~*_**

**_June 5_**

**_London Heathrow Airport_**

**_London, England 9:50 a.m._**

"Well, I had a good nap. Did anyone else get some rest?" Dad asks, stretching as soon as we got off of the plane.

"You call that a nap? A nap is supposed to be short. And we were on that plane for seven hours. So, you weren't napping, you were sleeping," Tom says.

"Thank you, son," Dad says. "Let me give you my insight about that."

"Yes, Dad?"

I hear a _smack_ as Dad hits the back of Tom's head. "Don't be a smart ass."

"Yes, Dad," Tom says, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ha. That's what you get," I say.

"Speaking of sleep, looks like Alanna barely got any sleep at all," Tom says with a sneer.

"I got plenty of sleep, Tom." I lie, knowing that there are probably deep bags under my eyes. I can't help it if I can't sleep on a plane, even if we flew first class, I just can't get that comfortable—especially when I'm next to Edward.

"I don't know, Tom. She looks tired to me," Emmett says seeing past my lie.

"I said I'm fine. I'm not tired; I got plenty of sleep. I am fine," I say. I try to hold back a yawn, but to no avail.

"Really? Because you look tired to me," Tom says. "What do you think. Em?" Emmett then provokes me by pretending to be yawning, which actually works.

"I agree, Tom. Look she's even yawning again," Emmett says, making fun of me.

"I'm not yawning because I'm tired. I'm yawning because you guys are boring," I say.

"Okay, guys. I say its time for us to go get our luggage," Mom says. "Um, Alanna, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure, Mom," I say. "What's up?"

"Have you decided where you want to go to for your birthday, yet?"

"Well, I want to go to India, but I know it might be hard to convince Dad," I say, hinting to Mom to help me convince Dad to approve.

"India, huh?" Mom says. "You know that's where your father and I first met?"

"Yes, Mom. You even told me that as a bedtime story when I was younger." I say.

"I just wanted to make sure," Mom says. "I can't believe that my little girl is almost sixteen and will soon go to the best school the Other Realm has to start preparing her for her season."

I suppress a groan. "Mom, why do I have to go through with a season if I'm already with Edward?"

"Ally, you have to understand that has been our way of life for centuries. I had my season even though it was cut short because I was pregnant with your brother out of wedlock, but at least I was with your father."

"But didn't you and Dad want kids straight away?"

"Of course we did, but not before we were married. So, please, just try to enjoy your season before you and Edward make the final decision."

"Okay, Mom. I will try to enjoy my season," I say, adding a smile to lighten Mom's mood.

"Thank you," Mom says, hugging me.

When I break away from her embrace I say, "So, would you—"

"Ask your father about you going to India for your birthday?" She says, finishing my sentence.

"Please?"

"Of course I will. You know, it would be funny if you find someone else in India?" She teases.

"Whoa. Mom, you know my heart is only for Edward." I say.

"You know I was only kidding. Come on, let's go catch up with the guys."

When we catch up to the others, I see my dad and Edward looking for our luggage. Off to the side, I see Emmett and Tom huddled together looking at Emmett's phone. When I walk up to Edward, he bends to whisper softly in my ear.

"Emmett said that Carrie sent him a text message saying that both her and Violet are going to be here to pick us up."

"Ooh, Violet and Carrie are coming! That is so cute," I say, loud enough for them to hear.

"How did you hear about that?" Emmett asks.

"Sorry, bro. I couldn't help myself," Edward says with a smirk.

Emmett says something inaudible, knowing very well that I won't be able to hear a word of it.

"Hey! Watch your language, Emmett," Edward says. Well, at least I know it was something bad.

"Alanna!" I hear someone call my name. When I turn around, someone with curly brown hair smothers me into a tight hug. "I'm so happy that you've finally made it."

"I'm happy to see you, too, Violet." I say, regaining my breath. "Where's Carrie?"

"She was right next to me earlier," she says.

"Ally!" A girl with straight black hair pulls me into another tight hug.

"Hey, Carrie," I gasp.

Violet Matthews and Carrie Sterling are my two best friends in both the Mortal and Other Realm. The weird thing is they're both cousins. The only difference between them is that Violet has brown hair that is always down in ringlets, with violet eyes and pale skin. Where as Carrie has hazel eyes, straight black hair, and olive skin. When people see them together, they find it hard to believe that they're even related.

"Hey, Edward," Carrie and Violet say in unison.

"Hello, Miss Matthews and Miss Sterling," Edward says.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks," they say to my parents.

"Hello, girls," My mom says, giving them a hug.

"Hello, ladies," Dad says. "Where are your parents?"

"My dad and uncle are here. They went to go look for parking," Violet says.

"We asked if we could look for you guys while they looked for space to park the limo," Carries says.

Both Carrie and Violet's fathers are on the Other Realm Council. They are to agree with my father about changing the legal age of using magic for both Witches and Wizards. Witches were able to use magic when they turn sixteen and Wizards were able to use magic when they turn seventeen. But now Dad wants to change it, making the legal age one year older for both sexes.

"Is my father here, too?" Edward asks. His father is another Council member, one of the two Council members to represent the vampire community.

"No, but he is with your mother getting ready for the meeting," Violet says.

"Speaking of the Cullen family, where's Emmett?" Carrie asks, eager to see her Warrior.

"I'm right here. Hey, Care," Emmett says, being followed by Tom.

"Emmett. I missed you," Carrie says, giving Emmett a hug. Emmett deepens the embrace by lifting Carrie from the floor.

"Hello, Violet," Tom says.

"Hi, Tom," Violet says shyly, giving him a hug. They're so cute when they get embarrassed with each other.

"So, how was the flight?" Carrie asks, even though the question was mostly directed toward Emmett.

"It was the best. Flying first class is always the best way to go," Emmett says.

"What about you, Tom? Was the flight okay?" Violet asks.

"It was good, except for the fact that I couldn't find my iPod throughout the whole flight." Tom says, looking at accusingly at me.

"Tom, I told you, I didn't take your iPod." I say.

"You took his iPod?" Violet asks.

"I did not take it, Vi," I say.

"Tom, it could still be in your bag. You probably didn't look thoroughly enough," Edward says, coming to my defense. Knowing that he was the one who took Tom's iPod out from his bag when he wasn't looking.

"Okay, I'll take a look right now," Tom says, taking off his bag from his shoulder. "And I look around and see…that my…iPod is in…there. What the hell?" Tom pulls a black iPod with a confused look on his face.

"See, I told you that I didn't take your iPod," I say. _When did Edward put it back?_

"Looks like you owe someone an apology, Tom," Dad says.

"Right. Well…I'm sorry, Alanna," Tom says.

"For?" Mom says.

"For accusing you of taking my iPod out of my bag," Tom says, defeated.

"Apology accepted," I say, knowing every well that Edward was behind the whole thing.

"Ah! Your Majesties, there you are," says a male voice coming toward us.

"Hi, Dad," Violet says to her father. Violet's dad is a tall man with dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and a lean muscular built.

"Hello, honey. I trust your flight was well, my King?" he asks my father.

"Yes, Chris, all was well. Now where did you park the car?" Dad asks.

"I could not find parking, but the limos are just outside waiting for us to load everything in there, sir," Chris says.

"Then we better not keep the drivers waiting," Mom says.

"Yes, I say we should go right now. We still have the meeting to attend in less than an hour and a half," Dad says, going all business.

"Yes, sir," Chris says.

"Vi, did your dad just say 'limos'? As in two?" I ask in a quiet voice.

"Yes, we have two limos. One for our parents—"

"And one for us," Carrie finishes.

"Awesome. So, are we able to get away with anything in that limo?" Emmett asks, wrapping an arm around Carrie's waist.

"Maybe, if my dad doesn't know." Carrie says with a wink.

"You naughty people," I say.

"Alanna, guys, we have to go," Dad calls.

"Coming Da-John!"

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**Well? How was chapter three? Good or bad? But the real question is what will happen to Alanna well she gets into that limo with her friends. Will they act like good kids or will they misbehave and trash the limo and get in trouble for it? Will her dad say yes for her request in going to India? Why did Alanna call her dad by his first name? And is her mom right, will Alanna find someone else in India and forget all about Edward? The mystery still continues... Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well here's chapter four. I hope you like it, I was writing it during Algebra 2 (I couldn't concentrate on my teacher's rambling anymore so I decided to write). Well I've said it once and I'll continue to say it, I do not own any of these characters, expect maybe five or six, they are owned by Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray.**

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**_*~*Chapter Four*~*_**

"So, wait. Did she say yes or no to the plans for your birthday?" Violet asks.

"Mom said she's cool with it, but she just needs to talk to Dad about it though," I say. "I just really hope that he'll say yes."

"I'm sure he will. I mean, my dad even let me go to not only Hawaii but to Italy for my sixteenth birthday," Carrie says.

"Oh, how could I not forget about that? And thanks for inviting me, by the way," I say. I had to agree with Carrie on that. Her birthday trip was awesome; having a luau one day and then touring Rome the next.

"Don't mention it. Besides the one thing I'm looking forward to is your birthday."

"I know me, too. Our little Ally is finally going to be turning sixteen soon," Violet says, almost sounding like my mom.

"Thanks, guys," I say, glaring at the both of them.

"You're welcome," Carrie and Violet say in unison.

"Whoa, Care, look at how huge Big Ben is just by driving past it!" Violet says.

"I know, right?" Carrie says.

"Hold on, you two have been here longer than we have and you still haven't seen Big Ben?" Tom says, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No. Our parents kept us in with these specific rules, 'You are not to leave the house until the royal family comes to London,'" Violet says.

"So, how long have you been here again?" Emmett asks.

"Two weeks," they say.

"Wow, that's a long time," I say. I kind of feel responsible that they had to wait. They weren't able to leave their house at all. Violet didn't have Tom with her because he had to stay with us and Carrie didn't have Emmett because he had to stay back in Boston because Edward couldn't leave my side, so their father decided that Emmett should stay with Edward.

"Are you all right?" Edward asks me with a worried look on his angelic face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just caught up with thinking about some stuff that's all," I say. "Why do you ask?"

"You were brooding, are you sure that you're all right?"

"Yes. I'm just a little tired."

"Ah-ha! I knew you didn't sleep on the plane," Tom shouts, eavesdropping on yet another conversation.

"I did get some sleep, Tom. I just need something to…wake me up a bit more," I say, reaching for his Coke and taking a sip.

"Are you sure, Ally? Because you do look like you could use some sleep," Violet says.

"I'm fine, Vi. So, you guys didn't even try to sneak out like always?" I ask, in desperate in of a change in subject.

"Well, we were, but then we found out that both mine and Carrie's rooms were magically guarded so that we couldn't sneak out," she says.

"And also so that no one could sneak in," Carrie adds.

"Oh, I see. Hey, Violet, I forgot to ask you, did your parents enroll you in school yet or are they going to home school you?" I ask, not only trying to change the subject, but also I am curious to know if I'll be alone at Spence.

"They enrolled me in school. I shall be going to Spence Academy for Young Ladies," Violet says with a perfect English accent.

"What about you, Care? Home school or did your parents enroll you in school, too?" I ask.

"Same. I'm going to Spence, too," Carrie says, as if it was nothing new to her.

"So, I guess that means all of us are going to the same school again," I say relieved, knowing that I won't be the new girl and outcast at Spence.

"I know, isn't it awesome? I hope we have the same classes together, too," Violet says.

"Well, of course we are, we're going to be in the upper class with the other older girls," Carrie says. "What do you think, Ally?"

"I'm mostly hoping that I don't get any special treatment there," I confess.

"Why?" Carrie and Violet ask.

"Because I'm the Princess of the Other Realm and everywhere I go there's a creature from the Other Realm that would either bow or kneel at my feet; in a place where Mortals are likely to see, no less. It's even way worse when I go shopping—"

"Not really. You always get discounts on the greatest things in stores," Violet says.

"Or for free," Carrie adds.

"Which is one of the many things I love about being a prince," Tom says. Only he could be this superficial.

"Well, you may love it, but I don't. I just want to do things like a normal person would," I say.

"But you're not that normal because you're a witch." Emmett does know how to state the obvious, doesn't he?

"You know what I meant," I say. "Now can we please change the subject?"

"Okay. Let's go back to what we were talking about earlier: your birthday," Carrie says.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the car ride, we kept talking about ideas for my possible birthday trip to India. Going to the marketplace and shopping, visiting ancient temples, watching snake charmers enchant cobras, and just having fun.

"Your Highnesses, we have arrived at Brooks Manor," says the driver.

"Thank you, James," Tom says.

When James opens the door for us to exit the limo, I take in the sight of the mansion. It is bigger than the one we had back in Boston and probably bigger than the one we had in Seattle. This new mansion is ivory and had dark green window trimmings with matching doorframes. The whole place appears to be screaming, "Go back to where you came from outsider!" to me alone.

I walk up the steps to the front door. Realizing that I don't have a key yet, I ring the doorbell. When the door opens, a man with graying hair smiles at me.

"Welcome, Your Highness," He says, giving me a deep bow and moving aside so I could enter the mansion.

"Hello, Geoffrey," I say as I enter the mansion. "Have my parents arrived?"

"Yes, Miss. They are preparing for their meeting with the England Other Realm Council," Geoffrey says. "Allow me to take your coat and your bag."

"Yes, thank you," I say.

I walk to the parlor and see that it's full of boxes that are ready to be unpacked, along with two armchairs, a love seat, and a big couch still draped over with sheets. I walk over to the fireplace and notice that it's been cleaned out of soot and ash.

"The place looks nice. Very…welcoming," Edward says.

"Really? It doesn't seem that way to me," I say.

"All right. I'm tired of you moping," Edward says.

"I'm not moping, Edward."

"Look, just because I can't read your mind does not mean that I can't see how you're feeling."

I sigh, hating how I can never get anything pass him. "Fine. I'm just getting this weird feeling about being here. I don't know how to describe it. It just…feels like I shouldn't be here."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Go back home." I know I'm acting like a big baby right now, but haven't I earned it? I _did_ just fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

"Look, I know I can't take you home—"

"I wish you could though." I mutter.

"But I can make it up to you," Edward says.

"And how would you make it up to me?" I ask.

"By taking you out tonight," he smiles.

"A date? Just you and me?"

"Yes. We could get ice cream?"

"Are you bribing me Mr. Cullen?"

"As long as you're out of the house having fun, Miss Brooks, then, yes," Edward says, giving me that crooked grin of his.

"Okay, I accept. It's a date," I say.

"It's a date," He repeats kissing my cheek.

"Now where are my grandchildren? I must see them," says a voice I know all too well: my grandmother. "Ah, there you are, Alanna."

"Grams," I say.

She walks over to me and gives me a hug. "Now let me get a good look at you." She steps away from me and takes one long look at me. "Well, you have grown a little taller, your hair certainly has grown since that last time I've seen you, and your eyes are as lovely as your mother's. I must say, sweetie, you look exactly like her."

"Thanks, Grams, but no one is as beautiful as Mom," I say.

"Well, in my eyes your lovely as she is, and I should know because I gave birth to her," she says.

"That's kind of too much, Grams," I say.

"Oh, you know what I meant. Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me," Grams says to Edward. "I'm the Baroness Melissa Warren, Alanna's grandmother."

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Edward says, bowing to my grandmother. "My name is Edward Cullen."

"Oh! So _you're_ the famous Edward Cullen that Alanna has told me so much about."

"Grams…" I blush.

"Stop embarrassing the poor girl, Melissa," says a male voice coming from the doorway.

"I'm not embarrassing her, Victor, I'm just saying what Alanna told me about her Warrior."

"You're embarrassing her, darling," Gramps says.

"Alanna, am I really embarrassing you?" Grams asks, hoping to prove him wrong.

"Yeah, kind of," I answer, then to my grandfather. "Hi, Gramps."

"Hello, sweetheart," he says, pulling me into a big hug. "My, look at how you've grown! You're the spitting image of your mother—except for the hair though—but still just as beautiful."

"Thanks, Gramps." I say, not wanting to repeat what I just told Grams.

"And, hello to you, Mr. Cullen. I'm the Baron Victor Warren." Gramps extends his hand toward Edward.

"Hello, sir," Edward says, taking my grandfather's hand.

"Grams, Gramps." _Tom_.

"Thomas," Gramps says. "It's good to see you again."

"Oh, there's my grandson," Grams says, giving Tom a tight hug.

"Hey, I hate to break up this little family time, but where will I be sleeping?"

* * *

"This is where you'll be sleeping, Miss Alanna," Geoffrey says as he shows me my new room.

"Thank you, Geoffrey," I say. I walk into the dark room and turn on the lights. I'm surprised to see to see how big the room is. I was even more shocked to see that there's already a bed and dressers in here. The walls are painted a pale purple; the same color as the walls in my old room back in Boston.

"I see that you're already liking your new room."

I turn and see my dad standing in the doorway already dressed in his suit and tie, ready to do business. "Yes. I can't believe that the walls are already painted the same color as the walls back in my old room."

"Well, when your mom and I first came here looking for the new home, we saw this room and decided that this should be your room," Dad says. "Purple was always your favorite color."

"Yeah. You look very handsome, Daddy," I say.

"Thank you, kiddo. You know, your mom and I were talking on our way over here and she told me that you want to go to India for your sixteenth birthday." He says.

"She did?" I ask, a little worried.

"Yes. She said that you told her that you've always wanted to go to India."

"Yeah, I-I did tell her that."_ Is it a yes or a no?_

"So, you know what I've decided?"

"What?" _Please say yes._

"I've decided…that you can go to India."

"Really? Oh, my God thank you, Dad," I scream as I bounce while I attempt to hug him.

"You're welcome. But you know that Mom and I have to go with you, right?" Dad asks.

"I know, because we're all underage except Tom, Emmett and Edward." I say, barely keeping my excitement in check. "So, I guess you have to go to meeting real soon, huh?"

"Yes. You know I have to do this, right?"

It doesn't take me long to realize what Dad's talking about: his new law. "Yes, I know. And as Princess I must abide by your law; new or old. I just can't believe that I have wait another year to use magic though."

"I know, but you saw what happened to those kids after they used their magic on a Mortal. I don't want that to happen to you," Dad says.

A year ago in San Antonio, a wizard and a witch both did the one thing that's illegal to do: use magic in front of a Mortal. When they saw that he was there, they tried to cover it up but it was too late. The Mortal ran off and told the police, who, of course they didn't believe him so the guy went crazy. But it did not go unnoticed by the Other Realm Council and they did what they had to do and that was to strip the young witch and wizard of their magic. Now my father wants to change the age of magic usage hoping that if they were a little more mature, they were able to follow the rules.

"I know you don't and I promise that I won't use magic until I'm seventeen," I say.

"Okay. You know I don't want my little girl to go through a very painful punishment like that," Dad says, giving me a hug.

"John, are you in—oh, I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" Mom asks, wearing a gray business skirt and matching blazer with her hair tied into a tight bun.

"No, honey, it's fine. I just wanted to see if Alanna found her room," Dad says to my mom.

"Do you like your new room?" Mom asks.

"It's perfect. Thanks, guys," I say, giving them a hug for reassurance.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Mom says to me, then to my father. "John, we must be going. They are waiting for us already."

"Right. Sorry to leave you here, kiddo, but we have to get going," Dad says.

"It's fine, I'm going to be unpacking anyway," I say.

"Oh, wait, you still haven't opened your windows yet," Mom says, guiding my eyes to where she's looking. "Look at this lovely view you have."

She's right, it is beautiful. I can see our whole back yard from here, which has it's own little forest. "I definitely love my room. Thanks."

"You're welcome. We'll be back in time for dinner," Mom says.

"Oh, umm, I forgot to tell you, I'm not going to be here for dinner." I say.

"You're not? Where are you going to be at then?" Dad asks.

"I-I have a date with Edward," I stammer.

"You have a date with Edward? And you didn't ask for our permission first?" Dad asks.

_Oh great_. I need that father/daughter moment back. _Way to go Ally._ "Is it okay if I can go?"

"Yes, you can," Mom says.

"Dad?"

"Fine. But this better be the last time you decide going out without telling us first." Dad says.

"Yes, Dad," I say.

"All right, Ally, be back before eleven. And be careful. This is a new city and I don't want anything bad to happening to you," Mom says.

"I'll be fine. I'll have my cell phone with me and so will Edward," I say.

"Okay." Mom kisses my cheek. "Have fun tonight."

"I will."

"And don't get into trouble, because if you do I might have to make my own magic rule for you only." Dad says, walking out the door.

"I won't," I say.

"And don't—"

"Bye, Dad," I say, closing the door in front of him.

* * *

**So how was chapter four? Some weird stuff huh? But Alanna is going to India! WOOHOO! And I know you're all waiting for Kartik don't worry he's coming. Maybe in Chapter 6 or Chapter 7, I'm not quite sure yet but he will be in this fanfic soon. Please be patient and please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's chapter five. Well you know the drill I don't own anything that belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray.**

**Disclaimer: This chapter is a little bit short. But in the words of my dear, dear cousin some chapters are sweeter when short.**

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**_*~*Chapter Five*~*_**

I walk over to my window, sit on the seat, and take in the sight of the forest—our backyard. All the trees and beautiful green grass, all the flowers Mom is going to love watering, and wide open space for us to play sports games. But what I didn't notice before was that my room overlooks the stables as well. Dad said that we were going to have horses in the back. In the meantime, the stables just look dark and lonely when surrounded by so much life.

I look through my suitcase—trying to find a nice V-neck shirt for tonight. I find two shirts that seem appealing and try to decide which one looks better, the purple and black striped with the silver stitching or the green and white striped with the stars at the bottom. The purple one would compliment my skin tone, but the green one brings out the color in my eyes.

I stand in front of the window again and see Tom, Emmett, and Edward with bats and gloves—getting ready to play baseball. As I continue to stare out the window, Edward catches me watching them and gives me a wicked grin. I flush and turn away from the window. When I gain the courage to look back—curiosity getting the best of me—I see that Edward isn't there anymore. He probably went to go play with the guys.

"You know, no one likes a peeping-tom."

I turn and see Edward standing in the doorway.

Embarrassed, I look away. I can feel the warm flush return to my face.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

"Almost. I just need to change. I thought you were going to go play baseball with the guys," I say.

"I was, but then I saw that you were already looking for me, so I thought that I'd play with them next time."

"But how are you ready if you're still in your baseball attire?"

"I have my suitcase with me. I'm sure I'll find something to wear," he says with a grin.

"Wait, I thought that we were leaving at six," I say.

"Alanna, it's already four-thirty," Edward says.

"Four-thirty? It can't be that late?"

"It is. And that means we need to leave in an hour to be there on time. I have a surprise for you and I'd rather tell you while there's still some light outside, so please hurry."

"All right, but first you're going to have to get out of my room so I can finish getting ready."

"Fine. I'm leaving and I say that you should wear the green one it really brings out your eyes."

"Thank you," I say, turning away and blushing again. "So where will this surprise be?" When I turn back around, Edward isn't there anymore.

* * *

When I finish getting dressed I decide to curl my hair—a change from the normal straight hair everyone is used to seeing. Once finished, I put on my make-up. I take one last look in the mirror and see that I look good for tonight.

As I walk down the stairs, I see Edward dressed in a dark blue button up shirt and a pair of black jeans. I almost melt, but I hold it together. I am so captivated by him that I don't realize I'm skipping a step and I start falling. Luckily, my savior, Edward comes to my rescue.

"Whoa, that was a close one. Are you all right, Ally?"

"Yeah, I am fine, other than being embarrassed."

"All right, then I guess we should go."

* * *

When we arrive at the restaurant, I start to feel a little out of place, by not wearing the most adequate attire. The host then shows us to our table – next to the window – which has a lovely view of the city.

"One of our waiters will come by shortly and tend to you," says the host.

"Thank you," Edward says. "So what do you think about this place?"

"I like it. It feels good to be out of the new house, especially just after arriving." I say. "How did you find out about it?"

"Carlisle. He said that he brought Esme here one night and suggested that I bring you here when we arrive in London," he says.

Before I could say anything else, a waiter with curly, sandy blond hair arrives. "Hello, my name is Matt, I'll be your waiter this evening. What can I get for you two?"

"We'll have two Cokes," Edward says.

"Okay," He writes down what we ordered. "I'll be back with your drinks in a moment."

"So what are you going to eat?" Edward asks.

"I think I'm going to have the chicken. I bet I already know what you're going to get," I say.

"The steak. Medium rare," he says.

"The way you eat it whenever we go to nice restaurants," I say with a smirk.

"Of course," he says. "How else would I eat it?"

"Certainly not the way I eat meat. Well done," I say before deciding to change the subject. "I almost forgot to tell you something very important."

"Yes?" Edward asks.

"We're going to India for my birthday. We leave June twentieth"

"That's good," Edward smiles. "I'm happy that your father is letting you go."

"But only if my parents go with us," I say.

"Well, obviously he can't let you go by yourself, you're still a minor." Edward says.

"I know, but both him and my mom look like they're still in their early twenties even though they're in their mid thirties," I say.

"That's because of who they are," he leans to whisper. "You know that witches and wizards don't really age like normal people, they stay young for a long time."

"I know that, I mean, by the time I turn seventeen my magic will be in full use and when I turn twenty I'll stop aging."

"Like me?"

"Yes, you and I will age very, very slowly." A smile I cannot hide finds its way to my lips at the thought of being with Edward forever.

"Good, because that's what I'm looking forward to." Edward says, taking my hand.

"Same here," I say.

"Here are your drinks," the waiter, says. "And what will you be having this evening?"

"I'll have the grilled chicken with a side salad," I say.

"And you sir?" He asks.

"I'll have the steak," Edward says.

"How would you like it?"

"Medium rare."

"Okay. So we have chicken with a side salad and steak," Matt says. "I'll be back when your order is ready."

"Thank you," Edward and I say.

"So, what were we talking about?" Edward asks.

"We were talking about how young my parents look," I say. "It's weird how I have to call them by their first name at times when they don't put up their disguises so that they can look like parents a teenager actually has."

"At least you have your family," he says.

"I'm sorry Edward. I-I didn't mean to–"

"No it's fine. It's just hard having to be what I am," he says. "But I know one good thing that came out of it."

"What's that?" I ask.

"If Emmett and I didn't move in with Carlisle and Esme, then I wouldn't have found you," he says, grinning in the way that I love.

I blush and look down into my lap. "You really mean that?"

"Yes," He says.

When I look up I catch his gaze and see that his golden-brown eyes are full of love. His love for me.

"I don't think that I'm going to continue with my season after my debut," I say.

"How come?" Edward asks.

"Because I found the right guy for me, the one who I want to spend the rest of my immortal life with," I say.

He smiles and kisses my hand. "I'm glad to be that one, Ally."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Edward."

"Here is your food. Chicken with a side salad for the lady," the waiter says, placing my dinner in front of me. "And steak, medium rare, for the gentleman. Enjoy."

"So, am I still getting ice cream after this?" I ask.

"Maybe if you eat all of your food, that is," Edward says with a smirk.

"When I do finish I want strawberry."

"Okay, but that's when you finish."

Before I could answer, my phone vibrates. I take it out from my purse and see that I have a new text message from Tom.

_Dad got the EORC to agree with him. His new law will pass in 4 weeks._

"What happened?" Edward asks.

"Tom just said that they agreed with my father and his new law will be passed in four weeks," I say.

"Well I guess that you are going to have to wait, then, to use your magic," He says.

"Yeah, I guess so," I say.

"Ally, don't let this bring you down. You're going to India for your birthday and having fun with all of your friends. Just think on the positive until after your birthday," he says.

"Yeah, I guess I should," I say.

"And besides, there's one good thing about your trip to India," Edward says.

"And what would that be?" I ask.

"We could have all the fun we want."

"You've been hanging around with your brother too long."

"Yes, but it's true though."

"Well we'll just have to wait and see about that in two weeks, Mr. Cullen," I say with a smirk.

"So we shall Miss Brooks," Edward says.

* * *

**To help enlighten you guys on what Alanna said about her aging very, very, very slowly what I meant to add was that she won't physically age at all, only her power will cause her to mature and to indicate that she's an older and more experienced witch.**

**And yes I did kind of change the way the Twilight vamps are, they still drink blood, but just to keep their strength up.**

**And incase you're wondering about Tom's text, EORC stand for English Other Realm Council. And I like to give the credit for coming up with the name to my cousin Miss Alex.**

**And I know you're all wondering when is Kartik coming, he'll be in the story every soon. I promise, maybe he'll be in the next chapter I'll post. You may never know. So please, review and say all you want about this chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yay! School is finally out! So now I won't be preoccupied with homework anymore so I can go through with writing this fanfic without any delay. Okay I know that chapter 5 kinda did suck, but I promise this chapter will be way more interesting =) Hope you enjoy it.**

**- Remember I don't own anything that belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray.**

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_***~*Chapter Six*~***_

"I had a great time tonight, Edward. I really needed that," I say, walking up the steps to the front door.

"I told you so," Edward says, following me up the steps. "Are you still happy that you got your ice cream?"

"Yes." I put a spoonful of my favorite strawberry ice cream into my mouth. "Thank you for it."

"You're welcome," he says.

I take another spoonful, but this time, instead of putting the ice cream in my mouth, I try to give it to Edward, who shakes his head.

"I'm not eating that," Edward says.

"Why not?" I ask, trying to force the ice cream into his mouth.

"Because I do not like strawberry ice cream." He moves away from my spoon.

"It's way better than cookie dough ice cream."

"What's wrong with cookie dough ice cream?" Edward folds his arms across his chest, pretending to be mad.

"I'm not saying that there is something wrong with it. I'm saying that strawberry is better than cookie dough. Now eat the ice cream…please," I say with a smile.

"No, because I will never eat strawberry ice cream," he says.

"Please. For me?" I give him the best puppy dog look I have.

He thinks about it before giving in. "All right, fine. I'll have some of your strawberry ice cream."

I laugh and feed him a spoonful of my ice cream. "How is it?"

"It's not bad, but not as good as cookie dough, though," Edward comments after swallowing. "But I know of something that's better than ice cream."

"What could be better than ice cream?" I ask.

"This." He walks up to me, takes my ice cream out of my hands, and places it on the railing. Then, he takes my face between both his hands and kisses me.

When he pulls away, I realize I've been proven wrong; kissing him is _way_ better than ice cream.

"So, do you still think that ice cream is better?" Edward asks with a huge grin on his face.

I shake my head vehemently, not trusting my speech. He laughs before cocking his head to the side, as if trying to hear something he did not catch.

"What is it?" I ask.

"The King. He is thinking about how he's going to break the news to you about his new law," Edward says.

"Why would he need to break the news to me, if Tom already told me?"

"I'm not sure, but he doesn't have a clue that Tom told you anything yet."

"Well, I'm going to head inside before the King gets mad. Oh shoot, I forgot, I don't have a key to the mansion yet."

"Time to wake up Tom," Edward says with a smirk.

"I doubt he is even asleep," I say, taking my cell phone out and start punching in my brother's number.

Once it stopped ringing, it went straight to his voicemail. _Hey this is Tom, please leave a message and I'll try to call you back. _"Hey, Tom, it's Ally. Please come open the door for me, because I don't have a key."

Once I hang up my phone, I realize that Edward is opening the door. "Did you pick the lock?"

"No, seems like someone left the door open," he says.

"It must have been my mom. She knows I don't have a key; or it could have been Tom. He usually forgets to lock the door before he runs out of the house."

"Must have been."

"Thanks again, Edward, for taking me out," I say.

"You're welcome again." Edward bends to kiss me again which I'm sure will make my heart stop.

I try to deepen the kiss—by wrapping my arms around his neck and running my tongue on his lower lip—but he easily manages to gently pull my arms away to put some distance between us.

"Sorry," I say.

"No, it's not your fault. It's mine actually," Edward says. "I kind of worked you up too much."

"Well, not really," I laugh.

Edward looks past me and into the mansion. "You better get inside. Your father knows that you are home but not inside yet."

"Okay," I sigh. "Good night."

"Good night," He repeats and gives me one last kiss.

* * *

Once I get to my room, I start to look for a pair of black sweats and a tank top. I find them, head to my bathroom and turn the porcelain knob for the shower. My body starts to relax, thanks to the hot water and the floral smell of my shampoo. When I finish, put on my sweats and tank top and run my brush through my hair.

After I brush my teeth, I look at myself in the mirror and start to think over what Grams said to me earlier. I did get a little taller—I am five-foot-six now. My face is pretty—I guess—I have a straight nose and a good jaw. But I don't really like having these pale freckles across my face.

I don't see why everyone says I am as beautiful as my mother. Nothing really stands out about me; I don't really think that my eyes count. I mean, they are large and bright, but they are kind of haunting—like the eyes of a ghost.

I turn off the light in my bathroom, walk over to my bed, and start thinking about my trip to India. I can feel a smile spread across my face just thinking about my trip. I still remember the joke Mom told me earlier about me finding some one else there. Even if I did, then he would have to be a wizard or a vampire or any other creature from the Other Realm. If he were a Mortal, I would be in major trouble.

If anyone from the Other Realm fell in love with a Mortal, then said creature would be turned into a Mortal him or herself. Their memory would be altered to forget everything about the Other Realm. Although, I have to admit, my great-grandmother was different, almost an exception to the rule. She was able to wield magic even though she wasn't from the Other Realm.

A soft knock at the door interrupts my inner thoughts.

"Alanna, sweetie? Are you still awake?" Mom asks.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm still up. You can come in," I say.

When she opens the door, I can see that she isn't alone; my grandmother is with her as well. I tell them to sit on my bed and to make themselves comfortable.

"Oh, I hope we didn't bother you, Alanna," Grams says.

"No, it's fine. I can't really fall asleep right now anyway," I say.

"Did you have a good time with Edward?" Mom asks.

"Yes, we went out to dinner and then we went to go get ice cream." I smile at the memory.

"Honey, I think we should tell her now," Grams says to my mother.

"Tell me what?"

"Well, it's not much of a matter as telling you, it's more about me—us—your grandmother and I showing you something," My mom says.

"Okay. What is it?"

"This." Mom shows me a blue box tied with a white ribbon. "It was going to be your birthday present from your grandma and me. But we decided to give it to you early."

"Are you guys sure you want to give it to me before my birthday?" I ask.

"Yes, we believe that now would be the perfect time for you to have it." Grams hands me the box.

"Thank you," I say.

"Open it," Grams prods. "I think you're going to like it a lot."

"All right," I say, pulling the ribbon off. When I open the box, I see a small silver amulet of an all-seeing eye atop a crescent moon. I remembered that Mom would always wear it, that it belonged to her. "But isn't this yours, Mom?"

"It was, but now it's yours. You see, Ally, your grandmother gave me that amulet when I turned sixteen and her mother did the same for her." Mom says.

"It is our family's most precious heirloom, granted it has only been passed down for only four generations but it still counts," Grams says with pride. "I still remember when my mother, your great-grandmother Gemma, first gave me that amulet for my sixteenth birthday. I just wish that she were still here to see you wear it. She would have loved you so much."

"Thank you so much. It's really nice, I love it." And I do. It's different than any other amulet that I have ever seen. I remember that when I was younger, I would always ask Mom if I could wear it. She would always say not until I was older and ready. "Mom, can you help me put it on?"

"Of course, come here," she says. I lift my nearly dry hair so that my mom can properly secure the necklace around my neck. I feel funny once it's on, like my whole body is tingling. "There, it looks so beautiful on you, Ally."

"Yes, it does," Grams agrees.

"Thank you, again," I say, giving them each a tight hug.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Mom says, kissing my cheek. "Come on, Mom, it's getting late. It's time for Ally to go to sleep."

"Yes, she should. A long day of traveling and going out on a date are not good mixes. Good night, Ally." Grams bends down to kiss my forehead.

"Good night," I say. My mom turns of my light before closing the door. _Why am I feeling so sleepy? I couldn't possibly be that tired._ I crawl under my covers and drift to sleep.

* * *

In my dreams, I find myself in another world—a world that I don't even think to be the Other Realm. No, this new realm is a whole new world of its own. This place is like nothing I have ever seen before. The sky is a purplish-blue over a horizon of an orange glow—almost like a sunset that never fades away. The trees' leaves are dipped with green-gold and red-orange.

It's the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. I nearly forget that I'm wearing my mother's amulet until I start to finger it. I lift it and see that it is glowing. Slowly, the scene changes. I see stands and carts carrying silks, fruit, flowers, and little statues of Indian deities. I see crowds of people walking about the dirt cobblestone streets. It's almost as if I was in a bazaar. _How did I get here? And why do I feel like I'm being suffocated?_ One minute ago, I'm in a beautiful paradise and the next I'm in a bazaar.

I look down at my amulet again and see that I'm no longer in my sweats and tank top, but in a light green cotton dress. My hair is tied up into a bun, and I'm wearing gloves and a corset. Well now I know why I feel suffocated, it's because of this stupid corset.

But if I'm in all this clothing, then I'm not longer in my time period—probably around the nineteenth century. Through all of my dreams, something like this has never happened.

"Gemma that will be quite enough." I hear a woman say. _Gemma? _That's my great-grandmother's name. But I can't be that far back in time, can I? I turn and see two women with red-gold hair and an older Indian woman with them.

I almost look just like my great-grandmother except she is taller and has red hair. And the other woman must be her mother, my great great-grandmother, Virginia Doyle and she's wearing the amulet—_my amulet_. _Did I just step right through the _Twilight Zone_ or something?_ Suddenly, I see two men in black cloaks walking up to the women; the older of them bumps into Virginia a bit too hard.

"A thousand pardons, honorable lady," he says. He then bows to her and I can almost see the other man a bit clearer, but not much. He looks a bit younger than the former, but it's too hard to tell.

The scene changes again, and this time I'm in a place that appears to be a church. I see her again. Great-grandma Gemma and she looks scared, of what I don't know. Then I see him, the boy from the marketplace, but not as clearly as I'd like, gripping my great-grandmother by her wrist. He lets go of her with a smirk across his face.

"We'll be watching you, Miss Doyle," he says.

The scene changes again. This time I'm at a gypsy camp where I see Gemma kissing a gypsy. But it isn't just any gypsy; it is the same boy from earlier. As quick as a flash, every single scene starts flying past me like a whirlwind; my great-grandmother opening a door of blinding light, four girls running across the paradise, a funeral, the boy talking to Gemma, a book store, London's East End, magical creatures, a tree as tall as ten men put together, a huge battle between the creatures with Gemma and that boy fighting side-by-side.

Everything comes crashing down on me, up to where it finally ends and I see my great-grandmother boarding a ship. She has a sad look across her face, almost as if heartbroken. As everything starts to fade away, I find that I'm back to where I first started, the paradise and back in my regular clothes. Then I see something that catches my eye, a boy. _How did he get here?_

He approaches and smiles at me. He's not that much older than me, maybe seventeen or so, with curly black hair, brown skin, a full mouth, dark eyes and such beautiful eyelashes. "Don't worry, Ally. I won't hurt you," he says with a perfect English accent.

"How do you know my name?" I ask.

"Because you've known me for a long time, and you know that I am only here to help you."

I have no idea why, but I believe him. His name does not really seem to come to mind, but I _do_ know him. I then do something that I would hardy ever do. I take his face in my hands and kiss him. What is even weirder is that he's kissing me back. His lips are moving perfectly with mine, giving me a sense of familiarity, almost as if I have been kissing him for ages. He then wraps his arms around my waist and presses his tongue against my lips. I break away and blush for what just happened. It isn't because I am embarrassed, it is because I want more.

He gives me a wicked grin and raises his hand to caress my cheek. "It's only a matter of time until we meet again."

I wake up, gasping and sweating. I look down at my amulet again only to see that it isn't glowing anymore. What was that? A dream or a vision? Who was that guy and why was I kissing him? What did he mean by_ it's only a matter of time until we meet again_? Was it all supposed to mean something? And if so, then I must figure out what that dream meant.

* * *

**I know that was a really huge shocker for you all, I bet you guys didn't even see that Gemma was Alanna's great-grandmother. And if you remember what I said in chapter 5 then yeah Alanna's grandmother is physically old, but it will take her a long time for her to end her days. Where as to Ally and her mom won't age at all and they won't even die.**

**And yes you all saw a glimpse of Kartik. Sorry for taking so long as to bringing him into the story but I really needed to think of a perfectly good way for him to come in and what's a better way then to have him come into your dreams right?**

**So how was chapter 6? Good? Bad? A maybe? Was it as good as you expected it to be? Please let me know about it in a review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you all for reading and review (for whoever did review, but still thanks). And sorry for changing the name but I just wasn't feeling it with A Power Between Two Worlds. So here's chapter 7, I hope you like this one as much as you liked chapter 6 =) Thank you and enjoy!**

**- Remember, I don't own anything that belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray.**

* * *

_***~*Chapter Seven*~***_

_**Two Weeks Later…**_

_**June 20**_

_**Mumbai (Bombay), India**_

It's been two weeks since my mom and grandma gave me the amulet and I had that dream. And it hasn't stopped. I can't even describe what these dreams are trying to tell me, or what they even mean. I would really like to know who is that guy in my dreams. Every single time I see him, he tells me that's it's okay and that he will always protect me. Then I do what I did the last time; kiss him.

It's almost as if I'm drawn to him. His lips bring a warm sensation to our kiss. His fingertips at my waist make me feel weak and give me a feeling that I have never felt before.

I had that dream again last night, and this time it went further than it had before. His tongue touched my lips again and this time I didn't pull back. I opened my mouth slightly to let him explore it. We took turns exploring each other's mouths while our hands seemed in search of something on each other's bodies.

His hands started to rub at my sides and he lifted my shirt. I followed his lead and did the same. As I lifted his shirt above his head, I could feel the sweat starting to build up around the nape of his neck and on his forehead. His body was so sculpted and built. His chest was smooth and chiseled as well as his arms. Everything about him felt so soft yet so aggressive.

His lips left mine and started traveling along my jaw then down my neck. As I tilted my head up, I noticed something in the distance that immediately made my heart stop. Edward was there, crouched down on the ground with a murderous glare on his face. He looked like a lion ready to attack his prey. And his prey was the guy who was kissing me. Edward's upper lip curled back to reveal his razor sharp teeth.

My mystery guy became aware of Edward and he put his game face on. He let a low growl out, signaling that he was ready. They seemed like two hungry beasts ready to devour each other.

I felt scared for both of them; my love against my lover. The chemistry grew with Edward. But from the first look at this powerful mysterious guy, I felt it—a rush of venom through my veins, yet it was passion to fill myself with more of this mystery.

Edward let a low snarl escape his lips that scared me half to death. He turned his attention to me, with a heartbroken look in his topaz eyes.

"How could you, Ally?" Edward asked in a voice filled with knowledge of my betrayal.

"I-I...Edward I didn't—"

"She didn't want to be with a cold hearted monster like you anymore," the mystery guy said.

"You," Edward said, his eyes fixed the guy with another murderous glare. "I'll kill you!"

"Not if I kill you first!"

At lightning quick speed, Edward started running towards us. My mystery guy pushed me out of the way and pulled out a dagger from his pocket. It was the sharpest dagger I had ever seen, but I doubted that it was any match for Edward's hard skin.

My mystery guy took the first swing at Edward, who easily moved out of the way and tripped the guy. It wasn't an ordinary trip either; the guy to fell hard onto the ground, causing him to groan in pain.

The mystery guy got up and showed Edward the dagger. Edward laughed a humorless laugh when he saw the weapon.

"You stupid human. Do you think that that little piece of metal is any match for me?" Edward asked.

"You'll be surprised as to how powerful this little piece of metal is on your kind," The mystery guy smirked.

"Just try," Edward said, lunging toward him with a closed fist of his own.

I continued to watch as the fight between Edward and the mystery guy went on. I could see that the guy was actually holding his own—especially since Edward was a vampire and could easily rip him to shreds. The mystery guy used his dagger to cut a fine jagged line across Edward's arm.

How was that possible? A vampire's skin is the toughest thing to cut through, only another vampire could do that. Edward cried out in pain and I could see scarlet seeping out of his skin.

Then I noticed something about the dagger that I hadn't before. He was right, it wasn't an ordinary dagger at all; it was athame. An athame is only used during Circle Castings or used against any other creature—no matter how powerful they are. But how did he get one if he's a Mortal?

Edward let out another snarl and ran right at the guy, grabbing him by the throat. The guy's eyes looked like they're going to bug out of his head and his face started to change color from brown to red, to purple.

"No! Edward stop! Please just stop!" I cried, but he wouldn't listen.

"It's okay, Ally. I said that I-I was here to protect you," the mystery guy said on what seemed to be his last breath.

I wake up with start, gasping and panting, not wanting to see what happened next. I start to feel tears forming in my eyes, nearly forgetting that I am on a plane and sitting next to Edward. He notices my tears and asks me what's wrong.

"It was nothing. Just a bad dream," I say with a shaky voice.

"Are you sure?" he asks with a look of concern on his face.

"Yes I am."

I can't tell him, let him know that I was dreaming about another guy and that I was kissing him. I can't let him know that he was there too and was about to kill this guy. And I can't let Edward know that the reason why I'm almost crying is because I'm upset that he almost killed this guy, the guy who I really cared about, even though I had no idea who he was.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Can you promise me something?" I ask.

"Yes, anything," he says.

"Promise me that…that you won't…kill anyone," I say.

He has a confused look on his face. "Why do you say that?"

"Just promise me that, please?" I silently plead with him to comply and understand at the same time.

"Okay, I promise that I won't kill anyone," he says.

"Thank you,"

"You're welcome," he says and kisses my forehead. He may not be showing, it but I know that Edward is still thinking about my request and why would I ask him such a thing.

_If only he knew._

* * *

Mumbai (Bombay), India. It's as great as I imagined it to be: bright, sunny, and colorful. Everything about this place is amazing. I'm still happy that my parents let me come here for my birthday, even though they had to come just to keep a close watch on us.

Carrie and Violet were cool with it. Tom and Emmett were totally against it. Edward thought they had a right to be so. And as for me, I couldn't care less. As long as I'm in the city, I want to know that I'll have the best birthday of my life.

As we go toward my family's vacation home, I start to get a sense of déjà vu—almost as if I've been here before. I don't why I'm getting this feeling, but it's there. Everything from the streets, to the marketplace, to the buildings, is familiar to me. Then I realize why I'm getting déjà vu—_the dream_.

This place is the same one that was in my dream, only this time I'm not wearing a corset and in the nineteenth century.

"Grams, I'd like to know more about my great-grandmother. What was she like?" I ask.

"Well, sweetheart, your great-grandmother was born on June 21st, 1879—"

"That's my birthday too," I say.

"Yes, both you and your great-grandmother shared the same birthday. And she's also the reason we all have the same green eyes," Grams says.

"Really? She had these same bright green eyes?"

"Yes, you would have had our hair if you didn't get your father's color. But I can see there are hints of red still."

"But it's still cool how our eyes are different than most people who have green eyes, though."

"Yes, I suppose you could say that."

"You know, for some reason, I've always thought that Ally's eyes reminded me of _Danny Phantom_," Tom says.

"Shut up, Tom," I say.

"But it's true though, they look exactly like his," he says.

"Tom, drop it," Dad warns.

Tom mutters something that I don't quite catch, but I have a feeling that Dad will find out what it was and get Tom for it later.

"She was British wasn't she, Grams?" I ask, getting back to my conversation with Grams.

"Yes, Alanna she was. I used to talk with an English accent myself when I was younger. But throughout the years, I grew accustom to the American accent, like my father, your great-grandfather James Madison. I remember my mother telling me that back then he had such a hard time trying to ask the Council to allow him to marry her because she wasn't like us, she was a Mortal but she was not a normal Mortal—"

"Because she was able to wield magic?"

"Yes, she was. She may not have been able to cast spells and make potions like you and your mother did when you two were younger, but she was able to wield it all thanks to that amulet which hangs around your neck, Ally."

"So there's another form of magic in this amulet?"

"I'm not exactly sure. When I wore it nothing really happened to me."

"What about you Mom? Did anything happen to you when you wore Gemma's amulet?" I ask.

"No, I can't say that I have, sweetie. Why do you ask?" Mom says.

"Did anything happen to you when you put on the amulet?" My grandma asks, almost a bit too intrigued.

"No, nothing happened at all," I lie.

Grams seems almost disappointed after I tell her this, but she quickly recovers and smiles. "Well that's good I guess, because if anything happened after you wore the amulet, I would have thought you didn't have magic of your own."

"Well I do, but I can't really use it right now," I say.

"Well, I know that you will use it when you turn seventeen," she says.

"Yeah, I know," I say. I look down at my amulet and remember everything from my dreams, every single one of my great-grandmother's memories, that guy and my most recent one with Edward, the one dream I wish I could forget.

* * *

As soon as I finish daydreaming, I realize that we arrived at the house—or mansion, I should say. The driver comes around to help us out of the limo, but I just barge out to go to the other limo to see Edward. Once I step out, I see the most beautiful mansion. This place has traditional Indian architecture, something I hadn't seen in the city coming here.

I finally see the other limo pull up, and unlike me, everyone waits for the limo driver to let them out. After seeing Violet, Emmett, and Carrie, I finally see Edward; as the gentleman he is, he lets everyone out before him.

"Oh God, why is it so hot out here?" Carrie complains.

"Because this is India and the weather here is always a perfect one hundred and fifteen degrees," I say.

"Very funny, Ally. Well, it's a good thing I have a vampire for a boyfriend, that way I'll always stay cool," she says.

"How right you are babe," Emmett says.

"But, remember you guys can't fully be together because of Alanna's family being here." Edward says, standing by my side.

"Why do you always have to ruin the fun, Edward?" Emmett asks.

"I'm not ruining anything, I'm just stating the obvious," Edward says.

"Hey, Ally, did Edward tell you yet how much he missed you during the limo ride here?" Emmett just can't resist a chance to irritate his brother. I'd be concerned if he did.

Edward growls beside me, indicating how mad he is.

"No, he didn't say anything to me yet. How much did you miss me, anyway?" I ask.

He glares at Emmett before answering. "I missed you a lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"Both the Mortal Realm and Other Realm populations combined."

"Wow, that is a lot."

"I told you," Edward says, lightly brushing lips on mine.

I nearly remember the guy in my dreams and how he kissed me so passionately and how Edward was acting there too. "So you guys ready to see my other grandmother's vacation home?" I ask.

"Is she here right now?" Violet asks.

"No, Grandma Amelia won't be here until tomorrow, for Alanna's birthday," Tom says.

"Yeah, once we head inside, and you guys get settled, we can watch a movie later," I say.

"Sounds good to me," Violet chirps.

"I'm down," Carrie adds.

Tom, Emmett, and Edward nod in agreement. We head up to the huge wooden door of the mansion and wait for my dad to open it for us. Once he opens the door, and everyone files in, I pull Carrie and Violet to the side to talk to them.

"Before we watch the movie, we need to head over to my room. I have to tell you guys something very important." I whisper.

"I told you that she'd come around sooner or later," Carrie says to Violet.

"What are you guys talking about?" I ask, confused.

"Vi has been having this feeling about you for the past two weeks; that you have been feeling upset about something, and she has been bugging me nonstop about it," Carrie said.

"Well I'm sorry, remember my active power is that I'm an empath, and how I can feel everyone's emotions. It sucks though, but it does help at times," Violet says.

"Well you were right about that, I have been feeling upset, but I'll tell you more about it upstairs in my room," I say.

"Okay, we'll see you up there in a bit," The girls say in unison.

* * *

**Well that was chapter 7, FINALLY they made it to India, right?**

**What a shocker with Edward right? He nearly killed dream Kartik =(**

**So let me know who everything is going and for sure, for sure, Kartik is right around the corner. =) OMG! Kartik is finally coming! Let me what you guys think about everything in a review please.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Chapter 8 YAY!!!!! I can't believe I've actually made it this far lol. Thank you to those who reviewed and for adding my story to either your Story Alerts or Favorite Story. And yes I know that what Edward almost did to Kartik was bad, I'm sorry, but it was a dream and it was a good thing that it didn't happen =) So as I said in chapter 7, Kartik is just around the corner and who knows he might even be in this very chapter? Only one way to find out? This chapter is quite long, longer than the other chapters. Hope you enjoy it!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that belongs to Stephenie Meyer or Libba Bray.**

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* * *

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**_*~*Chapter Eight*~*_**

"All right, so what's up, Ally?" Carrie asks, looking through my iPod to find a song to play.

"Yes, please let us know what is going on with you. Your emotions are driving me crazy." Violet says, lying down on my bed.

"Okay, remember when I showed you guys the amulet that my mom and Grams gave me?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Well, after I put on the amulet, I had a dream."

"What could be so weird about that?" Violet asks.

"Yeah, I mean, you always have dreams whenever something new happens to you," Carrie adds, putting my iPod down on the desk.

"Yeah, but this dream was different. It was nothing I would normally dream about."

"Really? Because if it's a dream about Edward what could be so wrong about that? I mean, you normally dream about him all the time," Carrie says with a sly grin tugging at her lips.

"My dreams about Edward do not involve anything sexual, Care." I feel a blush creep up my cheeks.

"Okay, but I'm just saying that you do always dream about your beloved Edward Cullen," she says.

"As I was saying, these dreams are different—"

"How?"

"I always seem to find myself in another place—it's not the Other Realm—it's a place that I've never seen before. And some weird stuff happens in these dreams, too."

"What kind of weird stuff?" Violet asks.

I then tell Violet and Carrie about my dream, how I was in that beautiful paradise, seeing my great-grandmother, having all of her memories played to me right before my eyes. I told them everything, even about that guy—only leaving out the part about me kissing him. I even told them about my most recent one—again leaving out the make out part—and how Edward was there, almost killing him. "And all he said was that he's there to protect me."

"Well, you got me there. I mean, I've never felt your emotions this out of whack before, so it must have been something," Violet says. "Like right now you're feeling happy. Now you're anxious? Sad? Okay, Alanna you have to stick with one emotion because you are making me feel sick and having a major headache."

"Sorry." I give her an apologetic smile. "I'm just so confused about all of this."

"Well, why don't you just tell your mom or grandma about this stuff. Maybe they'll know something about this," Carrie offers.

"I asked them if anything happened to them after they wore the amulet but they said no," I say.

"Well, you said that your great-grandmother's memories were flashing right in front of you. Maybe they mean something," Violet says.

"That's what I was thinking about too, but how would I really find out about that?" I ask.

"Well, of course it's obvious that we can't see what they mean and you don't want to ask your mom or grandma about it either. I guess that means only one thing; we're going to have to go to a gypsy for this type of stuff," she says.

"A gypsy? Why can't we just go to a psychic or look through the magic book instead?"

"It's easier if we get a gypsy to help us out, because they are the easiest people to give the answers that you need."

"And with a psychic, it's hard to tell with them, because they have to poke inside your head for hours on end until they get something. So I say we should go see a gypsy," Carrie says.

"But aren't gypsies also known for being thieves?" I ask.

"Yes, but with Carrie's mind manipulation power, we can easily get past them without having to worry about getting anything taken," Violet says.

"Aww, thank you my dear, loving cousin. I didn't know you cared so much about me or my power," Carrie says.

"Well it always got us out of trouble, so why wouldn't I love it?" Violet asks.

"Oh I don't know, because you hate your power."

"You try dealing with people's emotions being slammed right at you, it really drains you. Like right now, Ally is feeling hopeful about her dream."

"No I'm not," I retort.

"Alanna, don't lie to me. I know you were," Violet says.

"Which reminds me, who was that guy in your dream anyway, Ally? He said that he knew you," Carrie says.

"I don't know. I mean, in the dream I didn't know who he was but I also did," I say.

"What?" They ask.

"It's weird. I didn't know his name at all, but I felt like I really _did_ know who he was and then…" I kissed him.

"And then what?" Carrie asks.

"What happened?" Violet asks.

"And then…I woke up," I lie. I can't tell them that I kissed him, they'll just think about it too much and then Edward will find out from them that I dreamt about kissing another guy.

"Okay, but I just have one thing to ask," Violet says.

"Which would be…" I say.

"Was he cute?" She says.

"Yeah, Ally, was he cute?" Carrie asks.

"Well, he was tall, very tan, curly hair. He was built, had deep brown eyes—"

"Ooh! Sounds like Ally is crushing on her dream guy," Violet says.

"No I'm not!" My voice hitting an octave too high and I blush.

"You so are! You're even blushing!" Carrie says.

"Ally, don't try to hide it because I can feel what you're feeling," Violet says.

"Whatever. Come on, we have to go downstairs if we want to watch the movie," I say, wanting a change of subject.

"Fine, but you're crushing on him," Violet says. "Oh, can I request what movie we should watch?"

"Okay, which movie?" I ask.

"We should watch Aladdin, because that movie seems almost appropriate for where we are," she says.

"But they weren't in India," I say.

"Well, I don't care, I still say we should watch it."

"Whatever you want, Vi."

* * *

"All right, I'm going to bed," I say as I walk to the stairs.

"Ally it's barely eight-thirty. Why are you going to sleep so early?" Tom asks.

"Because I am tired from flying all day and all I want to do is take a shower, read a good book, and go to sleep."

"Okay. Good night, Princess!" Emmett says.

I let out a groan for being called the title I'm so greatly bestowed on. "Yeah, good night guys."

"Hey, Ally, hold on. I have to tell you something," Tom says, walking up to me.

"What's up Tom?" I step down to the last step so I can be at the same level as him.

"I have something for you." He gives me a small box with a bow on it. "It's your birthday present."

"But my birthday is tomorrow. Why don't I get it tomorrow instead?"

"Because, Mom and Dad are going to have you getting ready all day for the ball tomorrow. I know you are going to be busy and I thought I should give you your present early."

"Thanks, Tom. But it better not be a frog or anything slimy or else I'm going to tell Dad."

"Do you want your present or not?"

I look down at the box then back into my brother's eyes. It seems harmless enough, might as well take it. "Thanks, Tom."

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Tom asks.

"Okay." I take the top part of the box off and see an iPhone. "Whoa, no freaking way! Tom, you got me the iPhone?"

"Yeah, lately you've been using mine too much and complaining about how some of the buttons on your PDA not working anymore. So I got you an even better cell phone," Tom says.

"You're the best!" I give my brother a tight hug and kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Tom says, squeezing me back. "And I already set everything up for you. All of your contacts, some of your calendars, everything is there. And it has sixteen gigabytes so you can put a shit load of music in there."

"Have I ever told you that you are the best big brother ever?" I ask, placing my arm on his shoulder.

"Well, I have known that, but it is good to hear every now and then," he smirks.

"Shut up," I say, playfully pushing him.

"Happy early birthday sis." Tom gives me another hug.

"Thanks bro," I say. "Well good night everybody."

"Good night!"

I walk up the stairs to my room and close the door. I walk over to the desk and turn on my laptop so I could work on my new iPhone. Before I even connect the phone, I turn it on to see if Tom really did add my contacts and other stuff in there. I tap the screen for the phone and see every single one of my contacts in there. That was nice of him to do that for me. And I did mean what I said about Tom, he is the best big brother to have, even if he does act like a jerk at times.

I connect my iPhone to my laptop and start uploading my music. While I wait for my music to upload, I play Paramore's "Pressure" and go to my bathroom to take a shower.

I am now starting to agree with Carrie's comment from earlier; it is really hot here. And humid. But I don't really care, I'm just glad to be here. I turn the knob for the cold water and start to feel immediately refreshed. Once I finish, I step out and put on a pair of grey shorts and tank top. I head over to my laptop and see that my phone is still uploading my music and hear Linkin Park's "Leave Out All the Rest" playing. I then change it to Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird, American Mouth". I lie down on my bed and start to feel relaxed by the gentle acoustic music. But for some reason, Tom's words seem to be coming back to me like a bad voiceover. _You are going to be busy all day_.

The last thing I want is a ball in another country. Being in a country of my choosing and not being able to enjoy it sucks. I've wanted to come to India my whole life and now that I'm finally here, I can't go out and explore it with my friends because I have to be preparing for a ball. The ball may be for my birthday, but all I want to do is go to the marketplace and buy a sari.

I wish I were like Princess Jasmine from _Aladdin_; she is way more rebellious and doesn't wait to be rescued like the other Disney Princesses that I've seen. She snuck out of the palace and went to go look around Agrabah—only to then find herself in trouble. But she's save by Aladdin, who she later falls in love with. All this thinking leads me to an idea that I've never thought of before. Sneaking out.

That's it. I should sneak out tomorrow morning and go off on my own, go to the marketplace, buy myself a sari, and be back in time to get ready for the ball. It's perfect—the best plan I've ever thought of. No wonder Carrie and Violet love sneaking out, it's thrilling, I'm giddy all over with excitement. I turn off my light and go to—or try to go to—sleep. I just might enjoy my birthday a whole lot more now than I already am.

* * *

The next morning I wake up, still feeling excited about my plan, I go over to my closet and look for something to wear. For it being six-fifty in the morning, it's really hot. I was thinking about wearing jeans today, but I think a dress would be better. I find a nice, thin green dress with spaghetti straps that reaches down to the top of my knees, which is perfect for this type of weather.

I quickly dress, slip on some white flats, grab my purse and my new iPhone, and quietly start walking down the stairs to the kitchen to grab something to eat on my way to the marketplace. I find my way to the kitchen without even making a sound or tripping on anything—a new record due to the fact that I would have woken up everyone in the whole place if I didn't. I walk over to the pantry and grab two granola bars and an apple. I am about to leave the kitchen when I remember how hot it is outside and walk back to the fridge and take two bottles of ice-cold water, so I won't complain about the heat.

I make it to the front door and take one of the extra keys Dad placed right near the door for anyone to use. I put the keys in my purse and walk out the front door.

I'm so glad that the bazaar isn't that far from my grandmother's estate. If it were, I would have had to take a taxi and my Hindi isn't nearly as my father or Edward's. I'm happy that my parents had me learn so many languages growing up such as Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Russian. Only the very important languages needed to learn for whenever my parents had dinner parties and I was introduced to anyone who didn't speak English very well.

I take out my granola bar and bite into it. If only people could see me now. Alanna Marie Brooks, the Princess of the Other Realm, walking the streets of India unescorted by her Warrior. Oh I could just imagine what the gossip-crazed women would say about me. _Did you hear about our adoring princess? Yes, walking around the filthy streets of India and unescorted by Edward Cullen. Goodness me, that does not sound like the perfect way for a young lady to spend her sixteenth birthday_.

I stop dead in my tracks after realizing something. I'm sixteen now. I can't believe I almost forgot that today is my birthday. I've been so caught up about sneaking out that I nearly forgot that I am _now_ sixteen years old.

If either Tom or Emmett found about this they would have been joking about it until my seventeenth birthday. Just thinking about it makes me feel embarrassed. I take another bite of my bar and then take a sip of my water. It's crazy as to how hot it is in the morning, I know that India is always hot, but not this much.

It's so quiet out here; I wish I brought my iPod with me. Duh, my iPhone is an iPod too. I take out my iPhone and plug in my earphones, only leaving the right one in my ear so that way I can be aware of my surroundings. I find the song I'm looking for that would be very relaxing to me right now – Pearl Jam's "Release".

The sun is barely starting to peek out from behind a building, and I can feel its rays hitting my skin. It actually feels good having the sun out, I've missed it since moving to England – even if I can't stand the heat. I look down at my hair and see that the sunlight makes it look kind of dark-red, almost burgundy. My hair always ceases to amaze me, but I'm still amazed at the beauty here – even though there isn't anything out yet – it's still a beautiful place.

I feel like I have been walking around forever, even though I have only walked for almost an hour. As I round the corner I see it, the bazaar. The stand and cart owners are already starting to finish setting their products on display to be sold and there is already a good mount of people starting to look around.

I walk up to a stand that had the nicest jewelry I have seen – nicer than both my mother's jewelry and mine combined. What immediately caught my attention was a pair of pale purple bangles. The color was so nice that they almost seemed pink. I would love to buy these but I only have five thousand rupees, which is the equivalent to one hundred-four U.S. dollars. I put the bangles back down and start to walk away. I walk around and see so much stuff here; fruit, silks, jewelry, masks, picture frames, so many things.

As I walk around, I see more and more people start coming here to shop. It's already starting to get fairly crowed here, but I still haven't found a stand or a cart selling saris. My purse then starts vibrating and I pull out my phone to see that Violet is calling me. Oh no! That means she already knows I'm missing. If I answer then both Edward and my parents will know that I snuck out of the house. And if I don't answer than I'll get into even more trouble than would have been if I were caught. I'm just going to have to take my chances.

"Hello?"

"Ally? Ally where are you?" Violet sounds worried.

"Vi, I'm at the bazaar. Don't freak out, okay?" I say.

"Well, I'm trying not to, but when I came into your room to wake you up and to wish you a happy birthday I saw that your bed was empty and I started panicking," she says, on the verge of tears.

"Oh Violet, I'm sorry. It's just that I was so mad that I wasn't able to see the bazaar, because I am suppose to be preparing for the ball. I thought that I would do something crazy and sneak out and go to the bazaar myself."

"So you're at the bazaar right now?"

"Yes, the one that we passed yesterday on our way to my grandma's estate. So please don't freak out anymore and don't tell my parents or Edward about this."

"Okay, I won't tell them then. And Ally?"

"Yes."

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Vi."

"So you wanted to have an adventure of your own, huh?" Violet says.

"Yes. I wanted to get a sari and I wouldn't have been able to if I was getting my hair and make up done," I say.

"Well I guess that's true, but you have to be home soon. It's almost eight-thirty and if your mom and dad see that you're not here, you are going to be in so much trouble," she says.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I really wanted—"

"Miss! Excuse me miss! You with the dark red hair!" calls a loud voice. It takes me a while to realize that the voice was referring to me.

"Yes that's the one," says a man in the crowd next to a police officer. "That is the girl who stole from my stand."

Steal? I didn't steal anything. Instead of hanging up on Violet I put my phone back in my purse hoping that she'll hear what's going on.

"Excuse me?" I ask in English instead of Hindi.

"Don't play coy with me, you stole a pair of purple bangles from my stand."

"Calm down Ranjin," says the police officer, which I recognized to be the first voice I heard from before.

"She stole those bangles from my stand!" the man named Ranjin says to the police officer and gives me an icy stare.

"Let me handle this," says the police officer. "Miss, did you or did you not go to this man's stand?"

Whoa. The stand-keeper is accusing me of stealing, I mean, sure I was looking around at the stuff he had and saw some really nice bangles, but I would never steal anything.

"Miss, did you or did you not go to this man's stand?" the officer asks again.

"Yes, I did but I would—"

"Ah-ha! See Amar, what did I tell you." Ranjin says.

"But I would never steal anything," I finish. Is this guy really trying to bust me on my own birthday?

"Ranjin let me handle this. Okay miss, would you please tell me your name?" the officer, Amar, asks.

"But I didn't take anything," I say again.

"I'm sure you didn't, all I'm asking is your name."

"Alanna Brooks."

"Okay Miss Brooks, now I see that you are here on vacation and—"

"Why are you being friendly with her? She still has my bracelets!" Ranjin yells.

"Ranjin let me handle my job." I could tell that Amar was getting annoyed. "Now, as I was saying, welcome to Mumbai. My name is Amar, Chief of Police."

Okay, either I'm losing it or it is just too weird here in India. "Hello," I say.

"Now Miss Brooks, I'm going to ask you again, did you take anything from Ranjin's stand?"

"No. I did not take anything from him."

"She's obviously lying! Check her bag, she's probably hiding them in there!" Ranjin says.

"I'm not hiding anything!" I yell.

"Well if you are not then allow Amar to see in your bag."

"Can't you just believe me in the fact that I wouldn't steal."

"Miss Brooks, I'm sorry but Ranjin believes that you took those bracelets from him. So I'm going to have to ask if I can see your bag," Amar says.

"Fine." I take my purse off of my shoulder; ready to hand it to him.

"There you are!" calls a voice from behind me. "I've been looking all over for you."

I turn around and see a young man standing a bit too close to me. His American accent was so perfect that I didn't even know that he was talking to me. "Huh?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said I've been looking all over for you." He puts an arm around my shoulder and bends his head low to my ear. "Play along, I'm trying to help you."

Help me? With what? "Oh, umm, I've been walking around." Well, if this guy says he's trying to help me out, then something must be wrong with these guys.

"Well, I said that I was going to be back in five minutes and when I got back you were gone," the guy says. He turns to the police officer. "Thank you so much for finding my girlfriend."

_His girlfriend? This is his plan?_ The stand-keeper notices my surprised expression. "Your girlfriend? By the way her eyes look, she does not seem to agree."

"No that's how her eyes always look, right baby?" the guy says.

"Yep, big eyes run in my family," I say, trying to cover up for my mistake.

"Well, it does not matter because she still has my bangles!" Ranjin says.

"Wait, is he talking about those bangles I just bought you?" the guy asks.

"What?" all three of us said.

"Oh that's right, I forgot they're supposed to be a surprise for our anniversary, so I put them in your bag by accident," the guy says.

"I do not remember you buying anything from my stand," Ranjin says.

"Someone else sold them to me. Here, I have the receipt right in my pocket." He pulls out an actual receipt and shows it to Ranjin.

"This is the receipt from my stand, but I still do not believe you," Ranjin says.

"Oh just let them go, Ranjin. Let them enjoy themselves," Amar says, winking to the guy.

"Thank you officer," the guy says. He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. "Come on babe, we have to go."

"Okay," I say, walking away with him.

As we round the corner, I sigh with relief and let go of his hand. "Thank you, _so_ much. If it weren't for you I would have been arrested under false accusations."

"Well, it was nothing really. Ranjin always pulls that scheme on every traveler that comes to his stand and then leaves. I'm surprised that the police haven't caught on by now," he says now with a perfect English accent.

"Wait a minute, earlier you were talking with an American accent," I say.

"Well, that was to convince them that I was Indian-American in order to help you out," he says leaning against a wall.

"Well, I'm very glad that it worked. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But I have to admit, it wouldn't be a fully proper thank you, if I don't know who my savior is," I say.

He thinks about this before answering. "My name is Kartik."

"Kartik." I try the name on my tongue. "That's a very interesting name."

"Thank you," Kartik says giving me grin. "May I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"May I ask who is this lovely lady, who stands here before me, her name?"

I blush and look down at the ground before answering. _He thinks I'm lovely?_ "Alanna."

"Alanna, that's a very lovely name. And, as I said earlier, it's a pleasure to meet a lovely lady such as yourself."

Oh my God, this guy is flirting with me. And how could he not? He's gorgeous; curly black hair, chocolate brown eyes and the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. But something about him seems vaguely familiar, almost as if I've met him before.

* * *

**So???? How was chapter 8? Was it as you expected it to be???**

**But here's some good news... Kartik finally showed up!!! Yay!!! Wasn't great how he saved Ally from being arrested? And how he thought she was lovely lol.**

**It's a good thing that Edward can't read Ally's mind or else she would have been in big trouble. Let's just hope that Edward doesn't find out about any of this.**

**And how is everything going for this story anyway?? Is it going good, or is it going south? Please, i would really like to know what you all think about in a review. So please review and criticism is welcomed.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey everyone!! I'm so sorry that I haven't written anything down in so long. I had a really bad case of writers block and I needed some time away from this story to get ideas and write them down. So here's chapter 9 and I really hope you like it.**

**-I don't know own anything that belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray.**

* * *

**_*~*Chapter Nine*~*_**

I have no idea know why Kartik seems familiar to me, if I've only just met him today. It just seems too weird. And yet the feeling is there.

"So, where are you staying?" Kartik asks, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" I ask, slightly confused.

"I said, where is the hotel that you're staying at so I can help you get back?" he asks.

"Oh, uh, I'm not staying at a hotel. My grandmother owns a vacation home not that far from here," I say.

"All right, well, would you mind if I take you back then?"

"Um, okay."

We start walking down the street and heading in the direction that I came from toward my grandmother's estate. I'm still not sure why I'm even having this guy walk me back home. Parents always teach their kids never to talk to strangers and yet here I am, walking back home with someone I just met today.

_Great,_ I thought to myself. _I'm the model child. _

"So, where are you from?" Kartik asks.

"London," I say.

He turns his head and raises his eyebrow. "Well, if you're from London, why do you have an American Accent?"

"My dad is in the hotel management business, so he gets transferred a lot to different cities where he has to help start or manage a new hotel that is opened anywhere," I say, reciting the story that I have to tell people whenever we move to somewhere new. "And right now, in this case, Dad got transferred to a new hotel in a different country."

"So where are you originally from?"

"Well I've been moving around my whole life, so I'm not entirely sure anymore. But I guess the only place I've ever felt at home would have to be Boston." Again saying something that I'm supposed to say, only changing it a bit.

He nods in an understanding manor, which makes me think that he's trying to let the whole story sink in.

"Well, what I'd really like to know is why you are here. I didn't hear about any new hotels opening up in Mumbai," Kartik says.

"Well, it's my birthday today and I asked my parents to bring me and a couple of my friends to India for my birthday present," I say.

"Well, happy birthday," Kartik says.

"Thank you."

I take out my iPhone to look at the time. When I see that it's a quarter to nine, I feel my heart accelerate because I have a feeling that everyone is probably up.

"Oh crap."

"What's wrong?"

"I-I have to get back home right now, or else my parents will get mad." I start to walk faster, hoping that if I get home soon no one will notice my disappearance.

"Why would they be mad at you for going to the bazaar?" Kartik asks, also walking faster.

"Because they don't know I'm here. I kind of snuck out."

"Why would you do that, wouldn't they have let you go?"

_I don't know why he even cares,_ I thought to myself. _I just have to start running or else I'm dead._

"Look, it was really nice meeting you, Kartik. But I have to go. Bye." I say before breaking into a run.

* * *

I make it back to the estate in less than fifteen minutes. It would have been faster if I hadn't tripped so much. I walk up to the window to see if anyone is walking around, but I find nothing. I sigh with relief and walk up to the front door and unlock it. I walk into the house as quietly as possible and put Dad's key back in place.

I may not have gotten anything from the marketplace, but at least I didn't get arrested and then have to deal with my parents – and Edward – lecturing me on the dangers of sneaking out.

I make it to the stairs and head straight to my room. Before I even go inside, I start to get a strange feeling that someone is already in there. I have no idea where this feeling is coming from, but I'm worried that I already know who could possibly be in there. I open the door and – sure enough – there he was, leaning against the wall across from me, next to the open window in the shadows. His face is hard and his posture tense; he's so angry that he's glaring at the floor wordlessly.

"Hi," I finally croak. No response. His face could have been carved from stone. "Are you excited about tonight?" Edward still doesn't say anything; he just stays in the same position that he's in. "Please say something. Anything."

Edward finally moves. His eyes close, and he pinches the bridge of his nose between the thumb and index finger on his right hand.

"Alanna," he whispers. Edward never uses my full name; so when he does, I know things can't be good. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to go out on your own in the streets of India? How dangerous it is for a girl, like you, to be alone in a country like this? Especially since you wouldn't really know what was going on?"

I gasp as he opens his eyes. They are dark and have purple bruises under his black irises. "Edward, nothing happened to me!" I say a little too loudly. I lower my voice a bit more, to a level where I'm talking low but still good enough to make a good statement. "I've wanted to go to the bazaar ever since we got here, Edward. I wanted to go exactly on my birthday. But then, when Tom reminded me that I wasn't able to go because of the ball, I did the one thing I knew that would help me go; sneaking out."

I hear a growl rumble low in his chest. "I can't believe that both Violet and Tom were in on this."

"They were not in on anything, Edward," I snap. "Tom didn't tell me to do anything and Violet did not know anything about me sneaking out until this morning when she called me."

"It did not seem that way to–"

"Don't you start, Edward Cullen," I cut him off. "Don't you start on any of this trying to be the perfect boyfriend for me or the best Warrior for my parents approval. Because you already have those bases covered."

"Ally, I'm not trying anything," he says. "I'm just worried about your safety here. This isn't Boston or London. This is a new place that both you and I have never been to before and I would just hate myself if anything were to happen to you."

"I know, Edward, but you don't have to worry so much. I just wanted to go somewhere on my own for once. So please stop worrying so much about me."

I can hear his teeth grind together and see his fists ball up at his sides, still leaning against the wall. I hate the space between us. Being brave, I take a deep breath, and cross the room. He doesn't move when I wrap my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the morning sun streaming through the window, his skin feels especially icy, frozen.

"I'm sorry I made you worry," I mutter. He sighs, relaxing a little, his arms wound around my waist.

"_Worry_ is a bit of an understatement," he murmurs. "I think I should just take Carlisle's advice and just ease up a bit on you."

"I say you should. I am now sixteen years old. I'm not a little kid, Edward," I remind him.

He kisses the top of my head. "I know that. Happy birthday, love."

"Thank you."

I look up at his face, his defensive eyes; I hadn't noticed in the stress of the moment, but I now notice that they are too dark. The rings under them are deep purple. I frown in disapproval.

"When was the last time you fed?" I ask, now being the worried one.

"Not since two weeks ago," Edward says sheepishly.

"Edward," I say. "You should have gone hunting with Emmett last night."

"And now who's the worried one?" he asks with a smirk. "And besides, I can wait."

"That's ridiculous, I can't let you do that."

"Ally–"

"It's a good thing my father requested that my grandmother's staff load the fridge with tons of packets of blood just for emergencies like this." He raises his eyebrow at my statement. "And don't worry. He made sure that it was animal blood."

"You know, I could have done fine today, without having to worry to feed on blood. I could have done fine with human food."

"Well too bad, I'm not risking it."

I take his hand in mine and go straight for the kitchen. When we reach it, I walk toward the fridge while Edward takes a seat at the island. I pull out a packet of blood and grab a large glass to hold it. I cut the packet open with a pair of scissors and then hear a low growl.

"Try holding your breath Edward. I just need to put this in the glass and then you'll be able to drink," I say, not looking at him.

"I'm already one step ahead of you Ally," he says, obviously trying to fight the habit of breathing.

I pour the blood into the glass and then place it on the island right in front of Edward. He grabs the glass and starts drinking it. I'm not really used to seeing Edward drink blood, but I try to keep my composer for his sake. When he finishes, I notice that he looks a little better than when he did before. His eyes aren't pitch black anymore; they are now starting to get a tint of gold in them. I go back into the fridge and take out another packet of blood.

"Ally, I don't need anymore blood," Edward says.

"Nonsense, I want you to be one hundred percent yourself tonight. And I think that if you drink at least three packets of blood then you'll be fine."

He mutters something unintelligible, but I am able to make out the word 'stubborn'. I roll my eyes at him, grabbing the scissors.

"Besides, it's your favorite. Mountain lion." I say, pouring the blood into the glass.

"I guess that would make it a little bit better," he says drinking it as if it was orange juice. I go back into the fridge again and start looking for something. "Ally, I'm still not done with what I have."

"I know I was just getting me some orange juice. Seeing you drink kind of got me thirsty."

He rolls his eyes and takes another big gulp of his blood. I grab the juice – and another packet of blood – from the fridge and look for a glass for myself. I then pour some juice into the glass and, as soon as Edward places his glass on the island, I take it and pour one more packet of blood for him. I hand him back his glass and then take a seat next to him and sip my juice.

"You know this how I was hoping on how I would spend my birthday," I muse.

"With you drinking juice and watching me drink blood out of a glass in the morning?" Edward asks.

"No. With us spending time together, without having to worry about my parents, Tom, or our friends bothering us."

He gives me that crooked grin I love so much and then nods his head in agreement. "True, however I would have liked it better if I wasn't drinking blood in front of you."

"I know, but if we're going to be together forever I might as well get use to it."

"I'll make sure that I'll go hunting as much as possible when that happens. Because I can tell that this," he says, pointing to the half-empty glass of blood, "is not something that you're used to seeing."

"I may not be use to seeing it, but I'll make the best of it." I say, looking into his eyes that are now starting to turn back to their golden-brown color.

"Fine, but you're in for one hell of a life by staying with me," he says, downing the last bit of blood left in his cup.

"I don't mind. Besides, I wouldn't even mind being Mrs. Alanna Cullen," I smile, taking a sip from my juice.

"I wouldn't mind that either. But you would have to deal with seeing Emmett too much," he smirks.

"Oh I don't think he'll be able to visit us everyday, not with Carrie around."

"True."

He then pushes his glass aside and gets up to walk toward the cabinet. He grabs a new glass and fills it with water. I look at him, confused, wondering why he's even doing that. He grins and puts the water into his mouth, but instead of swallowing it, he just spits it back into the sink. He does this three more times and then refills his glass and this time actually drinks the water.

_What is he up to?_ I thought to myself.

He then walks up to me, takes my face in his hands, and kisses me. His cool lips move in perfect time with mine, making me feel slightly light-headed. When he breaks away, I look at him less confused then I did before. He laughs at my expression.

"You're still wondering why I did that with the water?" Edward asks.

"A little bit," I say, my voice slightly shaking.

"Well, I don't think you would have liked it if I kissed you right after I just had blood," Edward says.

"Yeah, I don't think I would have liked that either," I say.

"Thank you for the blood, Ally. That really did help. I've never had someone do that for me before," he says.

"You're welcome," I say, kissing him lightly on the lips.

I get up from my seat, walk toward the sink, and place my glass there. I wash the glasses then hand them over to Edward for drying. When we finish, I look at the clock and see that it's ten.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"Why isn't nobody else awake?"

"They are, they're just not here."

"Where are they then?"

"They went to your grandmother's ball room to check on how things are going with the decorations."

"Oh, okay."

"Why? Did you think they went on a search party for you?" Edward asks.

"No, it's just that it's too quiet in here," I say. I then get an idea and wonder if he would agree to it. "Edward, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course anything, love. It's your birthday remember," he says, placing his forehead against mine.

"Can you play me a song? My grandmother has a piano in the parlor and I really want to hear you play."

He chuckles, kisses my lips lightly, and gives me a hug. "I'll be more than happy to play a song for you, Ally."

* * *

**Oh man, that sucks Ally and Edward had a fight. And on her birthday too, well at least they made up. And it does sound bad to see him drink blood, even though he needs it. And no he did not make a lullaby for Ally =( sad but I didn't want to get almost every detail from the books.**

**But what about Kartik? Why does he seem so familiar to Ally when she first met him? And why was he so interested in her too?**

**Please let me know what you think about this chapter in a review and if it was good or bad.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Awesome!!! We made it to chapter ten!! And possibly the ball!! Yay!!**

**Okay, I know that what happened between Kartik and Ally was short but don't worry there might be more of them seeing each other to come. Maybe there might be some in this chapter? Or maybe not? There's only one way to find out. So please enjoy this next chapter of Between the Grave and Glory.**

**-I do not own any of the characters from _Twilight _****and _A Great and Terrible Beauty_****, they belong to the brilliant minds of Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray. I only own 6 or 7 characters.**

* * *

**_*~*Chapter Ten*~*_**

I've always loved hearing Edward play the piano. Hearing him play has started to become a hobby of mine for a while. Actually, music was the first thing Edward and I found out that we have in common. I remembered the first time I've ever heard him play. And now, seeing his fingers play the keys on my grandmother's grand piano just makes me feel so at peace and feel at home. Just hearing him play is always the perfect way for me to forget everything else. Forget about the ball and the fact that I have to wear a traditional ball gown. Forget that I'm a princess. Forget about attending a school I'm going to hate. Forget about what happened to me this morning. Forget about the dreams that I've been having. Forget about everything.

I sit right next Edward at the piano and just focus on him playing. I recognize the song as Evanescence's "My Immortal". Carrie and Violet would always joke around saying that that song was Edward's and my song because they think that it goes perfectly with our relationship. I automatically roll my eyes thinking about it and start to giggle a bit.

"What?" Edward asks, not missing a beat.

"Nothing," I giggle.

"I don't think so. You normally don't giggle about anything unless you think about something," Edward says.

_Damn, _I think to myself. _I just had to have a boyfriend who knows me too well._

"Well," I say. "I was remembering what Carrie and Violet said about this song."

"What about it?"

"It's kind of dumb, but they said that the song goes well for us. Like it's our unofficial song," I say with a light laugh.

He starts chuckling. "Well I've never really pictured this song for us. I only know that it's your favorite and so I decided to play it for you."

"Yeah. But you know the more I start thinking about it, the more I start to see that it does seem true."

"That the song goes with us?"

"Yes. Like the name itself, 'My Immortal,' that's what you are; you are _my_ immortal, Edward."

We sit in silence, listening to the end of the song. Once the last not ceases, Edward takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips, kissing it lightly.

"Your immortal. I like the sound of that," Edward says and then brings his lips to mine.

"You think you could play me one more song?" I ask after we break apart.

"Okay, I'll play one more song for you," Edward says. "Any requests?"

I bring my hand to my chin and tap my finger against it – pretending to think really hard – and come up with a good one. "Can you play that song from _Moulin Rouge _for me?"

"The one you love to hear again and again?" Edward asked.

"Yes, the one I originally thought to be a good song for us." I say.

"You thought 'Come What May' was a good song for us?" Edward asks, a smirk forming on his lips. I blush and look down at the piano keys.

_I can't believe I actually just said that in front of him. _I think to myself._ I never told him that before._

He puts his fingers under my chin and lifts my face up to meet his gaze. "I'll be more than happy to play _our _song, Ally."

"So we're not keeping 'My Immortal'?" I ask playfully, acting like I'm hurt.

"Well, you said that 'Come What May" is what you wanted for us, and 'My Immortal' is what Carrie and Violet thought was good for us. So I'd just rather stick with the song my girl picked." Edward says.

"So will you play it?" I ask.

"Yes, I will." Edward says, kissing my forehead. He turns back to the piano and starts playing the song. Just hearing the soft romantic music play starts making me think about what the future would be like for us later. When we get married, he'll become part of the royal family, the first vampire in my family. The first vampire prince.

The blood line on both sides of my family – except eighty years ago on my mom's side, thanks to great-grandma Gemma – have always been witches and wizards. Now with the new generation – my brother and me – things are going to change up a bit. Well, me mostly.

But if I want to change the royal line, I'm going to have to make Edward want me more. I already know that he loves me, but I have to admit that I want more than just our emotional love. I start thinking about what would be a good way to get Edward in the right mood. I come up with a good idea and then get up from my seat.

"Where are you going?" Edward asks, not looking up from the keys.

"I'm going to go get some water," I say. I walk into the kitchen and go straight to the fridge for a bottle of water. I open the bottle and take a sip.

_How am I going to do this? _I think to myself. _I've_ _never been seductive before._

I look down at my outfit and think about what I should do. I'm wearing a dress that reaches above the knee. The upper part has a good v-cut that shows a fair amount of cleavage. _I guess I'll have to make do with what I got. _I thought to myself.

I walk back to the parlor and hear another _Moulin Rouge _song being played. _The perfect song for what I'm going to do. _I thought to myself. "El Tango de Roxanne."

"Yes." Edward glances at me before turning his attention back to the piano.

I place my water bottle on top of the piano, jump up on top of it, and take a seat, glad that Edward didn't open the top. Edward doesn't really seem to notice much of what I do and just continues playing. I grab my bottle and take another sip out of it. _Hmm,_ _I thought that would work._

I cross my legs and take another sip out of my bottle until Edward messes up a bit on one of the notes. He picks the tune back up, but I know his fault. I smirk to myself as I push my hair to the side and place my bottle on the back of my neck.

"Oh God, Carrie was right. It really is hot here." I say as I fan myself with my hand.

"Uh, really? Because I, er, don't really have that much of a problem with the heat." Edward says, stuttering a bit.

"Well that's easy for you to say; you're a vampire. The heat and cold never bother you," I say, moving the bottle along my neck.

I see Edward's eyes follow the bottle, which causes him to mess up a bit more on the notes. I giggle and turn my attention to him. "Wow, you certainly are messing up on that song, Edward."

"Well, I wouldn't keep messing up if you would stop distracting me, Ally." Edward says, giving me a quick glance.

"Me? A distraction? I would never do such a thing, Edward." I say as I switch the crossing of my legs. Edward messes up again and hits one too many keys, trying to find his place again.

"Why are you doing this to me, Alanna?" Edward asks.

"Why, I have no idea what you mean." I lean a little closer to him and give a little shrug.

Edward gets up from the bench and walks up to the side where I am sitting. He puts his hands on either side of my waist and leans in close to whisper. "You know what you are doing, Ally. This could be dangerous."

"I'm not doing anything, Edward." I whisper back. "But if I were, then it wouldn't hurt to try."

He leans in more and places his lips on mine. Instead of breaking away, like he normally would, he started kissing me deeper and deeper. My breathing starts to get uneven. My arms wind around his neck as I try to make the kiss as deep as possible.

His hand curves around my elbow, moving slowly down my arm, across my ribs and over my waist, tracing along my hip and down my leg, around my knee. He has never done that before. _I think I should do this more often._ I think to myself.

I unwind my arms while Edward's lips start to travel along my jaw and down to my neck. I then start moving my hand over his shirt and feel along the muscles on his chest. He moves his lips away from my neck and back to my lips. As soon as I feel his ice-cold tongue trace the shape of my bottom lip, my heart starts to hammer hard against my ribcage.

I open my mouth slightly and gasp when I feel his tongue meet mine. I let out a soft moan and feel my head spin, while my heart starts beating faster. Edward laughs quietly as he continues to wrestle with my tongue, while his hands start moving from my hips to caress my thighs.

My plan was working until I felt ice-cold water being dumped on us. Edward and I break apart and I scream from the cold and looked up to see Carrie, Emmett and Violet giving us mischievous looks while Emmett holds an empty bucket and waves at us. But Tom is the only one with a shocked expression.

"Damn! Edward, you are a freak bro. High five!" Emmett says. Edward narrowed his eyes.

"Dude, come on. That's my little sister and you're macking on her on my grandma's piano," Tom fumes.

"Tom, it's normal for couples to make out every now and then. Well, not on their grandma's piano, but still normal." Violet says, trying to calm down an angry Tom.

"Besides, we cooled them down. So they won't have to start again," Carrie says with a smirk.

"May I ask, what the hell is going on here?" I ask, shivering.

"Hell, I should be asking you the same question Ally. What the fuck were you and Cullen doing making out on top of Grandma Amelia's piano?" Tom asks, folding his arms across his chest.

"What Edward and I do is none of your business, Tom." I say, jumping down from the piano. "What I would like to know is where were _you_ guys?"

"We went to go look at the stuff in the ballroom," Violet says.

"And everything is perfect for your masquerade ball tonight," Carrie adds.

"Well that's good, I guess." I say, still shivering.

"But what we would all still like to know is why were you guys going at it on top of a piano?" Emmett asks. "I mean, I know you guys love music, but a piano?"

"Carrie, Violet, let's go up to my room and we'll go do our hair and makeup." I drag my two best friends with me to the stairs.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened Edward?" Violet asks, out of earshot.

* * *

**A/N: WOW!!! Edward and Ally were going at it!! I wonder what would have happened if the others didn't stop them? Oh well. It's almost party time people and Ally is going to have to prepare for the biggest party of her life.**

**But the thing is I don't know what Ally should wear!!!!! Please guys I really need your help, please give me some ideas on what Ally should be for her masquerade ball. I do have one in mind but I don't know if a she should be a fairy? Or if you like I have a poll posted on my profile for some options on what her costume should be. Please I really need help!!!**

**And I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay guys, I couldn't wait any longer to write this chapter so I decided that Ally should be a fairy for her ball. So if you already had any ideas sorry if you didn't get a chance to tell me what you thought she should wear. So now it's party time!!! Although I have to admit I think there might be some very interesting things that you are going to enjoying knowing about at this ball. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. **

**-I do not own anything and anyone from _Twilight_ and _A Great and Terrible Beauty_****, they belong to Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray respectively. **

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_***~*Chapter Eleven*~***_

"Oh crap! This corset freaking hurts," I say, clutching at my sore side. "Mom, do I seriously have to wear this stupid thing?"

"Ally, sweetie, you know that it's tradition that we all have to wear these types of ball gowns." Mom says.

"I know that, but why do we still need to wear a corset? My dress looked fine when I tried it on without the corset." I say.

"Ally, its only for tonight." Mom says.

"And you look beautiful, Ally." Grams adds.

"Thanks, Grams."

"Ally, you made that fairy costume look awesome," Violet says, dressed as a lovely peacock.

"Well, of course. She has to," Carrie says. "She's the princess and it's her party, so she has the right to look great tonight."

I can't help but smile at their comments. My dress is beautiful. It is floor length and off the shoulder. I really love the colors too; purple and ivory. The bottom layer of the dress has the ivory, while the top was purple. The bodice has its own corset design on it to make it even more beautiful. The dress has fairy wing designs made of white glittered stitching along the bottom near the hem of the skirt. Even the shoulder straps have the same design. And my hair is nicely curled—making the red in my hair look nicely ringed around the dark-brown—with two locks of it pulled back on either side, held nicely with diamond hairclips. And, of course, I'm still wearing my amulet. If anything, I do look like a fairy—minus the wings and glittered skin.

"I love your costume, Carrie," I say. "A cheetah is perfect for you."

"Aww thanks, Ally." Carrie gives me a hug. "But I still say that your dress is way nicer."

"Thanks," I say. "Oh, Mom, have you seen my mask?"

"I have it right here, Ally." My mom hands me a purple mask with the same white glittered fairy wing design around the eyes.

"Oh wow," I say after putting it on. "I look very different with this on."

"Not to mention your eyes really pop out with the mask, too." Carrie says.

"Yeah, so you really didn't need that much glitter on your eye shadow," Violet adds.

"Yeah, I guess not."

"I bet you're happy that you don't have to wear a tiara today," Violet says, putting on her grey mask with fanned out blue, green, and grey peacock feathers attached on the right side.

"Yes, I think the hairclips are more than enough," I comment.

"But I still say next time you should at least wear a diamond hair band," Mom says, walking towards the door. "Now you girls hurry up with what you need to get done with your costumes, because Ally needs to be out there."

"I don't see what's the point in doing that if no one will know who I am," I say.

"Ally, just hurry up and go out there. And the same goes for you two girls as well." Mom says before leaving.

"Yes, Mom."

"Sure thing, Steph," Carrie and Violet say in unison.

"Okay, Ally. Spill." Carrie says.

"Spill what?" I ask, looking at them through the mirror.

"How was the marketplace this morning?" Carrie asks.

"What are you talking about? I didn't go to the marketplace morning." I glare at Violet through the mirror.

"Sorry, Ally, she made me tell her," Violet says with pleading eyes and a small pout.

"Oh Vi, first Edward finds out and now Carrie. Whose next my parents?" I ask.

"Don't worry, I wasn't thinking anything else around Edward after the line dropped," Violet says.

"Wait, so you heard what almost happened then?"

"I did, but not that well," Violet admits. "I mostly got bits and pieces of the conversation. What happened anyway?"

"Well, this stand keeper accused me of stealing a pair of bangles from his stand," I say.

"What?" Carrie and Violet ask in unison.

"I know crazy, right." I spray some body spray around my neck and on my wrists.

"Why would he think you would steal something? That's the last thing that you would ever do," Violet says.

"Yeah, you're too good of a person to do that," Carrie adds. "Although, I'll admit, I'm still surprised that you snuck out."

"Well your shenanigans grew on me," I smirk.

"Okay so then happened after that?" Violet asks.

"Alanna, it's time for you to come out!" Mom calls.

"Okay, coming!" I call back. "I'll tell you guys later, okay."

"You better," Carrie warns.

I start walking past the grand staircase of my grandmother's ballroom and look straight ahead. "You look beautiful your highness," says one of the Warriors assigned to watch over the party. "And happy birthday."

"Thank you."

I start walking out into the crowd and look for my friends. I'm glad that I didn't want to make a big entrance for my birthday, which would have ruined the whole idea of the masquerade.

Looking at everyone with their masks makes me wonder who is under them. I'm having a hard time trying to find Edward and the others. I wish I had a clue as to what Edward dressed up as for the party, but I never got a chance to ask him. So instead, I try to look for a peacock or a cheetah.

I look around and all I see are masks in the Venetian design in an arrangement of colors – black, white, silver, grey, red, blue. The same goes for an array order of animals – foxes, lynxes, tigers, monkeys, dragons, just about every animal I could think of. But still no sign of a cheetah or peacock.

The more I look around, the less chance I had at finding my friends. I did find my parents though. Mom dressed as a Spanish dancer; her dress red and black, with elbow length gloves, a fan, her hair tied into a tight bun at the nape of her neck with a red rose and wearing a red mask with black lace. Dad was dressed as a masked matador—minus the tight pants and funny shoes.

I laugh to myself and continue my search for the others. I keep looking around and I still can't find them, Out of the corner of my eye, I see a lone party guest. Something about this guest gives me a sense a familiarity, but he's wearing a mask, making it hard for me to tell who he is. Almost as if he senses me looking at him, he lifts his head and we lock eyes and – even from this distance – I feel like I almost recognize them. Big dark orbs staring through a black mask.

I feel a cool finger tap my shoulder and I jump a bit. I turn around and see a young man with a black mask with silver trimming on the outside. I give him a confused look. He then lifts his mask and I see that it's Edward and he gives me a wink. He puts his mask back, bowing before me and I curtsey in return. He then takes my hand and kisses it like a gentleman would at a ball. He holds his arm out for me, and I slip my own through his as we make our way to where our friends are.

"You look beautiful, love," Edward whispers into my ear and kisses my cheek.

"Thank you," I say, turning my head back around to the spot where I saw the masked guest, but he isn't there.

"What is it?" Edward asks.

"Nothing," I say. "You look very handsome tonight. What are you suppose to be?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be a Venetian army guard but, seeing as how your father won't allow any swords, I might as well tell everyone," he says.

"Well, I think you make a great Venetian army guard," I say. We walk up to where the others are and Emmett gives Edward and me a sly grin.

"So we trust that you two won't sneak off on your own and hide in the coat closet, right?" Emmett smirks.

"Shut up, Emmett," I say.

"I'm just saying, I don't want to follow a trail of fairy dust leading there," he says.

"Oh and what are you suppose to be? A big black kitty cat?" I ask with a smirk.

"No, I'm a jaguar. Hence the all black," he says, indicating his black-on-black tux.

"You still look like a big cat to me," I say. "Even Carrie looks more like a cheetah with her mask and dress."

"Thank you, Ally, but I think Emmett looks fine." Carrie hugs Emmett around his waist.

"Sure."

Everyone starts to talk again and I look around at the party. I have to admit, I love the decorations. Everything from the decorations to the costumes and music had that Venetian Victorian feel to it. Everything reminded me of that masquerade scene from _The Phantom of the Opera_ – minus the singing and a creepy guy with only half of a bad face.

"Would you care to dance with me, Ally?" Edward asks.

"I'd love too."

As soon as we reach the dance floor, a new song starts playing and Edward and I twirl around with the crowd of dancers. Another good thing about Edward is that he's a great dancer. He's just like me; we can dance to just about anything, but I have to admit we have more fun dancing to songs where we're just in each other's arms. We continue to whirl around and in between other couples while Edward spins me.

"Oh wait."

"What?"

"I forgot that we have to do that stupid group dance right now," I say, feeling a little embarrassed.

"And why do you seem embarrassed by doing that?" Edward asks.

"Because I have to dance with every guy here," I say. "And that means your brother."

"What? I'm light on my feet," Emmett says, dancing with Carrie right next to Edward and me.

"Yeah, well I'll be the judge of that," I say.

"Good luck," Edward says as he twirls me around and to Emmett.

"If you step on my feet, I swear I'll get you for it," I threaten as Emmett starts spinning me in and out.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, Princess." Emmett says.

I stick my tongue out at him – I _hate_ being called that – and he laughs. I look over and see Carrie and Tom dancing and talking, as well as Edward and Violet having their own little discussion as well.

"Well it seems like you and I are the only ones joking around," I say.

"Yeah, they never know how to play pranks on each other like we do," Emmett laughs. I laugh too, as he spins me into my brother's arms.

"Well if it isn't the fairy princess," Tom says.

"And the fool."

"Hey, I'm a court jester."

"You could have fooled me," I smirk.

"So have you been enjoying your new phone?" Tom asks.

"Yes, I love it so much." I say with a smile.

"I'm glad you liked it," he says.

Tom and I kept dancing and talking for a while more about how the party is going until it is time for me to go back to dancing with Edward. Tom spins me off to where Edward and Carrie are and I land perfectly in his waiting arms.

"You see now that wasn't so bad," Edward says, pulling me in.

"No I guess it wasn't," I say.

"May I cut in?" asks an almost familiar husky voice.

Edward turns around sees to the same guy I saw earlier with the black mask. Edward seems to look back between the guy and me, trying to comprehend why this guy is asking me – his girlfriend – to dance. Edward smiles and nods.

"Of course," Edward says and kisses my hand. "I'll be back soon, love."

"Okay," I say and stand there with the guy.

The band then starts up and plays the song I tried using to seduce Edward earlier today – "El Tango de Roxanne." He puts his hand around my waist, takes my right hand in his left, and then we start dancing to the fast-paced music. His dancing is great, perfect even. He turns me in and out so fast and gracefully that I don't even trip at all, like I normally do when I dance a tango.

"I must say, Your Highness, you look very beautiful tonight," he says, giving me a grin.

"Thank you."

"And I see that," he begins as he spins me in and out again. This time I find myself a little closer to him, "you are quite the dancer."

"Well, thank you. Normally I don't dance that well to a tango," I say.

"I beg to differ." He moves a little further away from the dance floor. "Do you mind if we go outside for a little walk?"

"No, but…" I look back to the dance floor and see Violet and Tom looking at us with shocked expressions.

"But…"

"But only if we make it quick," I finish.

We walk out toward the courtyard; to one of the fountains my grandmother has here. This one fountain is right next to a huge tree. We stand in front of it. I take off my mask and just stare at him, waiting to see if he will talk first.

"Okay, so why did you bring me out here?" I ask.

"Well, I really need to talk to you," he says. "It's about a very important business matter that we need to discuss, Miss Brooks."

"Well, if you want to talk to someone about 'important business' matters, I'm not the type of person you should discuss this with. That's more of a job for my father," I say, picking up my skirts and start to walk away.

He grabs me by my arm turns me around. "This is something that I can't discuss with your father, Miss Brooks. It's something that I can only discuss about with you."

"Listen, I'm not the business type, so I'll just get my father and–"

"No one besides you and your little boyfriend know I'm here," he says. "Actually, I'm not even from your world at all. So trust me when I say that I can only talk to you."

I gasp. "What do you mean you're not from my world?"

"I'm actually from this world, and I know what you are," he says.

"Well, if you're from this world, then let me see who you are," I say through my teeth.

He lifts his hands to his mask and pulls it off. I immediately feel my heart stop beating as I recognize him. _It's the boy from the marketplace_, I thought to myself. _Kartik_.

"Y-you're the boy from the marketplace. You're the one who saved me. Kartik," I gasp, my breathing becoming uneven.

"Yes, and I see that you haven't forgotten my name, Miss Brooks," Kartik says, a little smug.

"But how did you know who I was?" I ask. "You're a mortal. You're not supposed to know what I am at all."

"I have a message to give you, Your Highness," Kartik says, ignoring my inquiry about his knowledge of me.

"What is it?" I ask, still miffed that this mortal knows about me, knows who I am.

"History is to repeat itself," he says.

"What does that mean?" I ask, confused by his little riddle.

"I can't say, not here. We'll keep a close watch on you, Miss Brooks. Who knows when we shall meet again," he says before he breaks off into a run, leaving me there still motionless about what he had just said.

_A mortal knows about me_, I think to myself. _And I'll be seeing more of this Kartik more than I bargained for_.

_

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_

**A/N: Okay now that was some pretty intense stuff. And look who crashed the party!! Kartik dressed as a mysterious masked man. But I have to admit that you guys could tell that Edward was feeling a little upset about letting Ally dance with Kartik. Especially to a song like El Tango de Roxanne. Which was the same song Ally used to help try to seduce Edward in the other chapter - which then got messed up by Emmett and the others lol. **

**And I'm sure you all would like to know what Kartik meant by "History is to repeat itself"? Well there's only one way to find out...until next time my faithful readers. **

**And please give me your opinion on this chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey everyone! So Sorry that I haven't written anything in such a long time. When my summer was starting to end, I had to make up my last three weeks before school started by going to go hangout with my friends and going to theme parks because my entire sumer was taken up by summer school. So I had my fun, I'm back in (I'm finally a junior! Only one more year until I'm a senior) and now that I'm back at school I saw how crazy my schedule is year, I have honors classes (again), I'm on the yearbook staff (first time) and I had to go complain to my counselor about changing my 6th period (from French to Spanish) and that took like two weeks to get done (which means I was stuck in my counselor's office for the past two weeks, which does suck because there was a mess load of people with either the same problem as I did or that didn't have a 6th period). Anyway, enough about me and how crazy my junior year of high of school is already starting out for me. You guys just mostly care about this chapter...and that is what I'm going to give you.**

**Now this chapter jumps ahead two months from the last time Ally seen Kartik and she will now start attending Spence Academy for Young Ladies, but will Ally find something else thats different about this school other than the fact that she never knew that her great-grandmother also attended the same school more than a hundred years ago? Only one way to find out right?**

**-Disclaimer: I... *starts tearing up* I do not own the _Gemma Doyle _trilogy or *voice starts to crack* the _Twilight _series. They are owned by Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray.**

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**_*~*Chapter Twelve*~*_**

_**Two Months Later**_

_**September 1**_

It's been two months since my sixteenth birthday party, and I haven't felt the same since. I still remember what had happened to me after Kartik left, and I'll admit it was not something that I would want to remember.

**(FLASHBACK)**

I remained standing, motionless, in the same spot where Kartik had left me and continued to stare in the direction he took off running. Still thinking over what he said.

"History is to repeat itself."

What did he mean by that? What history? And what does it have to do with me? I was even more curious about what he said about us seeing more of each other.

_I'm going to be seeing more of Kartik,_ I thought to myself. _This is certainly something I did not want to hear on my birthday._

"Ally?" I heard someone say.

I turned around and saw Edward without his mask on. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, with a look of concern on his angel's face.

"I don't really know," I responded, with a weak, trembling voice.

"Come here," Edward beckoned, holding his arms open for me.

I walked up to him and welcomed his embrace. After what had happened between Kartik and me, it felt good to be back with Edward.

I still believed that Edward shouldn't have allowed Kartik to dance with me. For if he hadn't then I wouldn't be out here thinking about some stupid riddle Kartik told me.

"You seem distraught, love," Edward said. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled, burying my face into his chest. "I'm just so glad to be back in your arms right now."

He laughed, causing my head to bounce with the vibrations of his chest. "You didn't like dancing with someone else?"

"No," I sighed. "I'd much rather be dancing with you."

"Come on. I'll take you back inside and we'll continue our dance," he said, putting an arm around my waist and led me back to the party. "Besides, I have something for you. It could probably really lighten your mood."

"I really hope so," I mumbled, rested my head on his shoulder, and just inhaled his sweet scent, loving how lost I would always get in it. Something about it kind of relaxed me more; I actually started to forget about the whole Kartik deal.

Edward and I were almost back to the party, when I felt my legs shake; threatening to give out. The doorway to the party, the ground and the trees around me shimmered and went slightly hazy.

A strange tingling sensation started in my fingertips, traveling up my arms, and into my chest, making my whole body tremble. An awful pressure seized the breath out of my lungs, making it feel like some sort of thousand pound weight fell on me and brought me down to my knees. Panic overtook me next. I wanted to scream, but no words came out of my mouth. No sound.

_What's happening?_

Edward looked worriedly at me. I tried to focus on his beautiful face, lined with worry and terror. Eyes alarmed and frightened.

_Edward, please. Help me._

The words were right on my tongue. I tried to get my mouth to force the words out to Edward, but there was nothing but a choking sound in my throat. The dim purple blue of twilight began to slip away, my eyelids fluttered. I fought to keep them open. The only the sound was Edward shouting my name.

The pressure increased until I was under, being pulled down by a swirling tunnel of blinding color and light. I felt like I was falling forever. Along with scenes from my past flashing by, I'm ten-years-old playing baseball with Dad and Tom in our backyard in Seattle. I'm six and watching Mom make potions in the kitchen. It's almost as if time was spinning backward. I am now three, two, a baby, and then something pale and foreign, a tiny thing no bigger than a tadpole and just as fragile. I'm pulled from the black veil, until I find myself back in the paradise from my dreams.

But I'm not physically there this time. I'm a shadow, a ghost almost, no sound except for the thumping of my heart, and my breath going in and out. Everything still looked the same. Beautiful. I could never imagine anything bad to happen to a place like this, wherever this place could possibly be. I started walking over to one of the trees with the strange, yet beautiful, colored leaves. I still had no idea how this place came to be, whether it's from another world or a figment of my imagination, I didn't know. But it had to come from somewhere.

And yet for some reason, I felt like I knew this place somehow. Not just from the dream, but from some distant memory…

I then heard something move on the other side of the trees. I turned my head in the direction it came from and saw nothing. Weird. I heard it again and this time caught a small glimpse of something moving in from one tree to the next at an incredible speed. I felt my heart accelerate, fearing and hoping that the thing wouldn't come after me. I decided to leave my place near the tree and started walking more into the paradise.

As I continued to walk, I started to get the feeling that I was being watched. I stopped. I turned my head over to the left and saw nothing, and then I turned my head to the right and saw nothing again.

_That's odd._

I resumed walking until I heard that noise again. I turned my attention back to the left and saw something in the shadows. The shadowy figure had its shoulders hunched over, looking like a hunter ready to attack its prey. But something else about this figure made me gasp in fear, fear of something I hardly ever see. Its eyes. They were crimson. Bright red, like that of blood.

I started moving back, ever so slowly, trying not to provoke the figure in the shadows. I slipped on a rock, stumbling back a bit. I heard the shadowy figure let out a low growl and see it start to make its way toward me. Moving at first in a slow manner until it started running at an impossible speed for me to see anything.

I let out a blood-curdling scream, and felt the swaying bring me out of the paradise before the shadowy figure could get to me. I returned back to my grandmother's courtyard at her vacation home in India – I was never gone – screaming like crazy while my father pinned down my arms at my sides.

"Ally? Ally! Sweetheart, calm down!"

I continued to kick, hit, and scream, still trying to get away from that horrible creature with the crimson eyes.

"Ally, please, baby you have to calm down." Dad continued to say. "There's nothing coming after you."

"Yes, there is!" I screamed. Not realizing I was saying things out loud. I felt my breathing go uneven. I gasped for breath and started to feel tears running down my cheeks. I then hugged him and whispered, "It was so awful, Daddy."

"Shhh. It's okay sweetheart, nothing is coming after and nothing is going to hurt you," Dad cooed as he smoothed my hair.

I looked past his shoulder and saw that Edward and the others were there as well; all wearing the same concerned look on their faces.

**(END OF FLASHBACK)**

That day was the worst day of my life. Ever since I had that vision – as well as finding out that Kartik knows my secret – things haven't been the same since. But that vision made me think about something that I didn't think about before. While I still try to get over the disturbing nightmares that followed that vision, I start putting some of the pieces together. Which leaves me with only three questions, but I am able to answer one of them on my own.

First, who is Kartik and how and why does he know who I am? Second, why have my dreams suddenly become very haunting and disturbing? And third – the one I already have answered – is what was that vampire doing there and why was it after me?

But one other thing seems to eat at me after discovering what that shadow figure was; why did it seem so strangely familiar? Even though it was in the shadows, I was still able to sense familiarity from it. But from whom?

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**A/N: Well that was the much anticipated chapter 12. I hope you guys liked it. And sorry if it was short. But I'll try to make the next chapter longer, and who knows maybe Kartik will show up.**

**And I'll try to make to be more quicker when it comes to updating this story. Until next time my faithful readers!**

**And one more thing, please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the new chapter! But I have to say something - I really don't like to sound needy and whiney, but I haven't been getting much reviews guys. I know some parts might not be good or something but trust me, I try to get these in on time. (Even if there are times where I'll just be up late at night, writing) So please try to review as much as possible, and please try to make the reviews a bit more lengthy than just "I love it," or "please update." And I know I'm sounding needy and whiney but these reviews make my day. So please try to review more.**

**Now, enough about me, and back to the story. In the last chapter I know it was kinda short and wasn't that much liked by you guys...so I made this chapter longer and more interesting.**

**Plus there's a little added bonus in this chapter, and I would like to thank karma0be11e for beta-ing this chapter and all my other previous chapters, as well as helping me think of the added bonus you guys are about to read. I hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: *sighs* I do not own the Gemma Doyle trilogy or the Twilight series. But I'll find a way to own them. One way or another.**

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_***~*Chapter Thirteen*~***_

"Are you excited about starting school tomorrow?" Mom asks.

"Not really," I mumble.

"Nervous?" Dad asks.

"Kind of," I lie, hoping that they would stop pestering me with their questions.

"Alanna, I'm sure you're going to do fine at the school," Dad says. "And besides, Carrie and Violet will be there too, so you won't feel like you're the new girl."

"Yeah," I sigh. "I guess you're right."

Dad just sighs, shakes his head in defeat, and starts whispering something to Mom. I wasn't able to hear much except for catching the words "distant," "detached," "unresponsive," and "absent."

"I know, I know," Mom says to him. "But what can we do, John?"

I stop listening to them and just stare absent-mindedly out the window. I'm really not looking forward into going to Spence. Hell, I'm not even one hundred percent sure what I want anymore. Ever since what happened to me two months ago, I've been putting on an act for all of them. I'm not able to confide in anyone, not even Edward and I always tell him everything. But this is something that I can't tell him. If I do, then he won't act like my boyfriend Edward Cullen. He'll act like Edward Cullen the Warrior, and try to track down the human, Kartik, who knows my – _our_ – secret.

_Who does he think he is?_ I think to myself. _He's just some Mortal. If Kartik assumes that he knows who I am, then he doesn't entirely know whom Edward, my brother, and my father are and what they are capable of._

I don't even care if he did save me from incarceration, he should stay out of my business and leave me alone. I mean, he had no right to sneak into my party, asked to dance with me, and to take me out of the party just to tell me "history is to repeat itself."

I sigh. I just wish I had a clue as to who this mysterious Kartik is. I think back to that morning in the marketplace – the first time I met and was rescued by Kartik – and try to remember his appearance. But then again, how could have I forgotten his appearance, tall, tan, a head full with thick ebony curls. Very dark-brown eyes—fairly considered being black almost – with thick, foot long eyelashes. Strong jaw line, high cheekbones, full, kissable lips…

Whoa. Where did that come from? Did I actually think about Kartik that way? How was that even possible? I'm supposed to be mad at him and yet I thought that his lips were kissable. No, that can't be right. I'm only supposed to think about Edward that way, not about Kartik. Even if his lips are – or do seem – kissable. But all I know is that I haven't forgotten what Kartik looks like. He practically haunts my dreams.

_Wait a minute,_ I think to myself. _Haunts my dreams…_

My brain starts working faster than normal as I remember my first dream – after I was given my mother's necklace, and where I saw that mysterious, yet surprisingly hot guy. And then I start to check off on his appearance; dark curly hair, dark eyes, tall, tan, long lashes, full lips…

Kartik, my mystery dream guy. Of course! That's how Kartik seemed so familiar to me in the marketplace; Kartik _is_ my mystery dream guy. But how is that even possible? People just don't turn up in another person's dreams, especially when one of them is a Mortal and the other is a witch. Kartik is a Mortal, a Mortal who I had no idea that existed and never met before. And what's weird, or worse, is that I kissed him in my dreams, but still the experience is etched into my memory.

_And it felt so real too,_ I think to myself. _I wonder if he could have known…_

No. No, that's just not even possible. A Mortal turning up in my dreams and then seeing him in person just don't happen on coincidence. Although, in the dream he did know my name, and when he said it in the marketplace, his voice was filled with such familiarity and almost longing. Almost like he was happy to have seen me. And the same goes for the party, when he danced with me he was seriously flirting with me and he purposely pulled me closer to him after the spins. But my dreams about him still seem to have a powerful effect. What is it about him in those dreams that seem to be more effective to me?

I start thinking back to the paradise and seeing Kartik again. Seeing and trying to figure out why I'm so drawn to him. I imagine myself seeing Kartik and being drawn to him again. He walks up and smiles at me, like he always does. That smile makes my breath catch and I already feel my heart give a little jolt.

_That's weird,_ I think to myself. _And I'm only day dreaming about him, too_.

I'm thankful that Edward isn't here in the limo with me or else he would have been confused as to why my breathing caught and my heart started beating a little faster. But I couldn't help it, thinking about Kartik's smile made me react that way. I think about him raising his hand to my face and caressing my cheek. His hand moves from my face to my hair, playing with a lock of red-chestnut brown. The smile, still etched on his face, growers a little wider. While my daydream Kartik continues to play with the lock of my hair, I take in his appearance – or what I remember of his appearance. And I think it's save to say that my memory seems to be almost perfectly clear; his hair still a slight disarray of curls, eyes still an amazingly chocolate brown. Body still tan and muscular. My eyes wander to the last place I want to see – or imagine myself seeing – his lips. Those amazing full lips that I've – sort of – felt on my own.

He catches me staring at them and I lift my eyes from his lips to meet his gaze. He moves his hand from my hair to the back of my neck. I feel my breath catch again and my heart starts beating faster than before.

_I can't believe that I am getting myself so worked up over a simple little daydream._ I think to myself. _And yet, I do seem to have a very vivid imagination._

He leans in closer and presses his lips lightly on mine. Making it seem like a simple, little chaste kiss.

_Hmm,_ I think while biting my lip. _Not exactly what I wanted to imagine about a kiss. Especially when he would kiss me with such a passion in my dreams. Or was that also my imagination working on it's own too?_

I mentally shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts a little, and imagine myself changing it from a small kiss, to a longer, passionate one. Like the ones from all those dreams I had about him. He responds immediately to the kiss and makes it deeper. I swear that I can almost feel the sensation – if it were possible – on my lips, almost as if he were actually kissing me. I then feel my cheeks flush as soon as I think about Kartik's tongue pressing along my lower lip and pretend to open my mouth for him to enter. His arms wrap around my waist, while my arms wind around his neck. Just thinking about the full on make-out session almost makes me wish that he _were _actually here.

"Ally? Ally! Alanna!" I hear my brother say, while waving his hand in front of my face.

"Huh? What happened?" I say, breaking out of my reverie.

"You were out of it, that's what happened." Tom said. "Now, pay attention. We're at the school."

"Oh okay," I say and look outside my window.

While actually paying attention to the scenery outside, I see that we are driving under a stone archway and through gates that open onto lovely grounds. I can just make out a wonderful green field, perfect for playing any quiet outdoor activity, and lush, overgrown gardens. A little farther out lies a grove of great trees, thick as a forest. And just beyond the trees sits a chapel perched on a hill. Mom told me that the chapel was once used for the Mortals who attended the school long ago for mandatory prayers every evening. But that was until the school was bought by the Other Realm to be turned into a magic school. The whole place looks as if it's been standing this way for centuries, untouched.

The limo glides up the hill that leads to Spence's front doors. I roll down my window and crane my neck out the window to take in the full, massive scene of the building. There's something sticking up from the roof. It's hard to make it out in the fading light. The moon shifts from under a bank of clouds and I see them clearly: gargoyles. Moonlight ripples over the roof, illuminating bits and pieces – a sliver of sharp tooth, a leering mouth, snarling eyes. _Are those the actual gargoyles from the Other Realm or just some impressive replica of them?_ The limo comes to a stop and the driver comes around to open the door for us.

"We'll be back," Dad says, stepping out first. "Your mom and I have to take care of some things inside first and then we'll come back and get you."

"Stay right here, okay guys." Mom says.

"Sure, Mom." Tom says, while I nod my head in agreement.

Mom steps out of the limo and follows Dad up the steps into the school.

"Come one, we'll go wait for the others outside." Tom says.

"Fine," I sigh, grabbing my purse.

Once I step outside, I get the strangest feeling that I'm being watched. I wrap my black and gray striped hoodie around me and see another pair of headlights lighten in front of me. I squint my eyes from the light and turned my head away.

"That must be the others," Tom says as he takes in the sight of me.

"What?" I ask, slightly annoyed.

"I just realized something. Why are your cheeks so red?" he asks.

"Umm, because I'm warm," I lie. _Great the one day my brother decides to take notice of anything I do, just had to be on the day I daydream about making-out with another guy._

"How the in hell are you warm? It's freaking forty-five degrees out here."

"I don't know?" I try to think up something to say without much luck. "The heat in the limo was too high up?"

"Liar!" Tom exclaims. "I know what you were doing?"

_Oh crap, how in the hell is that possible? _I think to myself. "What? I wasn't doing anything, Tom."

"Don't lie to me, Ally. I know that look, you were thinking some pretty sick thoughts weren't you?" Tom folds his arms.

"Dude, Tom, since when does the Princess ever think about anything sick?" Emmett asks, the others following behind him.

"Hey, you may never know Emmett?" Tom says. "So admit it, Ally. You _were_ thinking about something sick."

"Oh God, Tom, I wasn't thinking about anything bad," I say, exasperated. "And even if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you."

"Oh so you admit it, then. Who was it?"

"Tom…"

"Tell me who you were thinking about in a sick way."

"Edward," I lie.

"Are you sure?" Tom questions.

"Yes."

"Are you sure about that? Because you can tell me if you were thinking about someone else, like that masked guy from your party?"

_Oh crap! _"No! Of course not, why would I think about him?"

"Are you kidding? How can you _not_ think about him? He had the whole mysterious vibe down with the black mask. He danced well. Even _I_ know that he's sexy."

Oh great! My own brother knows that I was thinking about Kartik! What the heck am I going to do? What would Edward think about this? And would my…wait. Did Tom just say what I think he just said? Even _he_ knew that Kartik was sexy? I might as well work this to my advantage.

"You think he's sexy?" I ask, raising an eyebrow, while the others start snickering.

Tom's eyes widen, just realizing his mistake. "Uh…no?"

"What?" Violet exclaims causing all of us – except her and Tom – to laugh more.

"Yes you said so yourself, even _you_ knewthat he was sexy," I smirk.

"Tom!" Violet shouts.

"No I don't. And, Vi, don't believe her." Tom pleads to her.

"Oh I shouldn't, huh? Then tell me, what was it exactly that you said, Tom," Violet demands, folding her arms.

"I…think you're sexy," Tom smiles.

"Oh hell no! I heard you say that _you_," she jabs her finger onto his chest, "thought that masked loner at the party – who danced with Ally – was sexy."

"I was kidding, Vi. I don't think _any _guy is sexy!"

"Yeah, sure you don't." Violet glares at my brother.

"Oh man, this is too funny," Carrie comments quietly.

"I know. I wonder what's going to happen next," Emmett adds. "I kind of wish I had popcorn for this. Seeing Tom and Violet fight is way better than any comedy movie that I've seen."

"I know, right?" Carrie says.

"No I swear! I was just trying to get a rise out of Ally, honest," Tom says. "And I've been hanging around with Edward and Emmett since my training and they know that I don't swing that way!"

Edward and Emmett abruptly stop laughing and start to move far away from Tom as much as possible, which causes Carries to laugh even more. She stops after a moment and her eyes widen, realizing something.

"Oh hell no, Tom!" Carrie yells, standing in front of Emmett. "You are _not _taking my man! You see all of this," waving her arms in front her Warrior, "is mine! You got that?"

"What? Carrie, be serious. I'm not interested in someone like Emmett at all!" Tom says.

"Oh, come on, Tom, you know I'm irresistible." Emmett waggles his eyebrows.

"Oh that's sick dude," Tom shudders.

Edward and I start bursting into laughter, causing Violet to get angrier.

"If you think you're getting any now, Thomas Brooks," Violet says. "You are _sorely_ mistaken." All of us start laughing controllably, while my brother starts getting mad.

"Violet! I swear I was only thinking of you!" Tom looks like he's ready to fall to knees and beg for Violet's forgiveness.

"Not based on what you said about that guy in the mask," Violet says.

"Violet, babe, come on! I was only doing that to get Ally mad! Why won't you believe me?" Tom pleads.

"Can you tell me how many times since, I've met you, have you tried to get to second base?" Violet asks. Tom tries to answer but Violet cuts him off. "If you don't know, I can tell you." She connects her index finger and thumbs together making a big "O." "Zero times. _Not once_!"

"Yeah but–"

"We've barely even kissed."

"But–"

"Even _Edward_ is more horny than you!"

I yell out a "Hey!" at the same time Edward asks "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Uh, I-I-I was just waiting for you! Waiting to see when you thought it was the right time…" Tom says. "And trust me I've got more in me than Cullen."

"Waiting for the right time? What male does that anymore?" Violet asks. "Most guys try to go for it within the first week."

"I was trying to be a gentleman, like the kind my dad is." Tom says.

"Oh yeah, and look where – or should I say _who_ – he ended up with Tom," I say.

"Stay out of this, Alanna," Tom growls.

"Being a gentleman?" Violet asks.

"Yes."

"Then who is that guy in the picture with you on your computer?"

"Oh shit," Emmett comments quietly.

"Ooh, Tommy is in trouble," Carrie sings.

"Stay out of this," Tom says. "And what are you talking about? That's my cousin."

"Your cousin?" Violet questions. "And since when do male cousins wrap their arms around each others waists?"

"This is actually pretty good," Edward comments, while I nod my head in agreement.

"When one of them is five inches shorter than you are," Tom says.

"I don't believe you, Tom." My brother walks up to Violet and tries to hug her. "Don't touch me!" Violet yells, hitting his arms.

"Babe, come on…" Tom tries to hug her again, but she moves away from him.

"You should save it for some _guy_ you want to touch," she says.

"Ooh," Carrie and I say in unison.

"Babe! Violet, all I want is you." His voice sounds almost pleading.

"Oh you do?" Violet asks. "Then _prove _it."

Tom takes Violet's face in his hands and gives her long, passionate kiss, which causes all of us to stop laughing and become sick. I know that Violet cares a great deal for my brother, but looking at them make-out – right in front of us no less – isn't something I ever want to see. I see Emmett shudder silently, and I immediately follow suite while making gagging noises.

"Eww! Gross guys," Carrie says.

"Was that _really _necessary?" Edward adds.

"I think I've gone blind," Emmett chimes in.

"Please, do us a favor and get a room!" I say.

Tom and Violet break away to catch some air. "Oh, don't worry. We will." He says, causing Violet to giggle.

"Oh come on!" Edward and Emmett exclaim.

"Eww!" Carrie repeats.

"I will never look at you two the same _ever _again," I cry.

"Well you better get use to it, sis, because you'll be seeing me around here a lot more than you expected." Tom says, placing an arm around Violet's shoulders.

"Eww." I shudder at just the thought.

"I really wish that this school wasn't an all girls school because then if it wasn't then we would have been together all the time," Violet says.

"Vi, you and Tom would have been the only ones between all of us to attend anyway." I say. "Remember it's a magic school; only witches, wizards or anybody who holds magic are allowed to come here."

"I know, but still I wish Tom would have been here with me." Violet says.

"I'll try to come and visit as often as I can, sweetheart." Tom kisses her forehead.

"Please, don't show any type of physical affection towards each other again." I say. "If you do, I think I'll revisit my lunch."

"Look whose talking, Ally. Remember when _we _found you and Cullen together, _alone _in Grandmother Amelia's parlor, practically going at it," Tom sneers.

I start to say something else, but then I see my parents – along with Carrie and Violet's parents – coming back outside.

"Okay. Now that we have everything taken care of, let's go inside and see your new school," Dad says.

I look ahead at the large wooden door and nervously bite my lip. I guess it is time to make a change. Make a new start at a new school, again. Forget about Kartik and the fact that we might see each other again – God knows whenever that will happen. And get on with my life. Hopefully.

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**A/N: So what do you think? Was this chapter good or bad? And what were your thoughts on Ally finally realizing that Kartik is her mysterious, yet totally hot dream guy? And how did you like the insinuation of Tom being gay? And the credit for that idea is all thanks to karma0be11e. :D**

**So please review guys, and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hello my faithful reader! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I have a little treat for you, guess what it is? Give up? It's a new chapter! :) I hope you guys like this one, to be honest it kinda make me cry and if you see what I mean then you might understand. Or maybe I'm just some weird overly emotional person lol. Okay so here's chapter 15 and i hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is owned an copy-righted by both Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray, no matter how much I want to own both Edward and Kartik ;)**

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_***~*Chapter Fourteen*~***_

We walk through the doors and enter the school, Dad claiming that both he and Mom had to take care of something important with Carrie and Violet's fathers and Spence's headmistress. My guess is that it definitely has something to do with me being here, which, in my opinion, sucks. If my father goes as far as trying to make such a big deal about me being here, then my time in Spence is going to be a living hell.

"Good evening," says a woman with a thick Irish accent. "My name is Bridget, I am the housekeeper here at Spence. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the headmistress's office."

"Thank you, ma'am," Dad responds.

We follow her, until we walk into a large, candle lit parlor filled with dusty books and arrays of flowers everywhere. There is a fireplace that is also lit. I hear girls' laughter from the other side of the door, and see some younger girls in dark-grey sweater-vests and navy blue pleated plaid skirts. One of them looks in and catches sight of Edward, Emmett, and Tom. She blushes and calls over some her little friends to take a look. Emmett and Tom catch them looking and give them a little wave, making them blush and giggle. Carrie and Violet notice what their Warriors are doing and each gave them a smack on the arm. Edward laughs quietly and shakes his head at their immaturity.

I wish I could say the same; I've only been here for no more than five minutes and the place is already starting to seem unwelcoming. I nervously bite my lip, knowing that I'm not going to enjoy my time here at all. Edward senses my nervousness and takes my hand in his, and rubs soothing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. I look to him and he gives me that crooked grin that immediately makes my heart melt. He always seems to find the perfect time to make me want to forget about the things that bother and stress me out.

He bends his head down, where his lips are close to my ear and whispers, "Ally, don't be so nervous. Everything is going to be fine, you'll see." He finishes by leaving a lingering kiss on my cheek.

I feel my heart flutter a bit from his kiss and my cheeks flush with a tiny hint of red. He chuckles and tucks back a lock of my hair behind my ear. I've noticed that my hair has grown quite long—it's practically down to my waist—I've been meaning to get it trimmed down a bit, but I haven't decided when I want to cut it.

"Your Majesties and Council members, the headmistress is ready to see you," Bridget says. "But I'm afraid that the Warriors are to stay here for the duration of the visit."

"Oh don't worry about us, we'll be fine down here." Emmett says giving her a smile. She blushes and turns away.

I hear Carrie give Emmett another smack, only this time with her purse and across his head. He hisses in pain and—in a low voice—lets loose a string of profanities, leaving a satisfied Carrie smirking. Edward chuckles quietly, softly kissing my hand.

"I'll be here waiting for you after your meeting, love."

"Okay."

I follow my parents and the others out of the parlor, and now start to get a better look at my surroundings by noticing some differences in the others' appearances. Carrie, for starters, cut her hair. Chopped it short, like a pixie cut in layers. Violets hair has changed too. Her layers have grown and evened out nicely. I'm surprised that I'd never noticed until now. _I must have been a zombie for the past two months._

Mom and Dad still seem to be the same, except for Mom cutting her hair to where it was up to her shoulders while Dad's grew out a bit more—from that buzz cut he had to a more fuller look, making his dark-brown hair look almost black.

We continue to follow Bridget to a huge, open foyer where an incredible double staircase sits. The stairs branch off both left and right. Before we reach them, I notice a chandelier above me. It's dazzling. Loads of crystal strung along metal and almost seem like icicles.

"Now be careful," the housekeeper advises. "These stairs are steep."

The stairs seem to go up for miles. I look over the banister and see that the black and white tiles make a diamond pattern below. Walking further along, I spot a painting of a silver-haired woman in a dress that would have been in the latest fashion one hundred and forty years ago.

"That's Eugenia Spence," Mom informs me. "She was the founder of the school."

"Oh," is all I say, glancing back at the painting and continuing to walk to the headmistress's office.

We make it to almost the end of the hall and stop in front of thick double doors. The housekeeper knocks, and a voice from the other side of the doors answers, "Come in." We are ushered into a room with dark-green wallpaper in a peacock pattern. Violet grimaces its appearance of the room, trying not to comment on it. She always speaks her mind whenever she sees something tacky.

To my right and in the center of the room, sits a woman with thick, dark brown hair—that is faintly going gray—set into a tight bun and dressed professionally in a pants suit. She is also wearing a pair of silver circle-rimmed reading glasses. The woman lifts her head from her paperwork and a small smile tugs at her lips. She sets down her pen and rises from her place at the desk.

"That will be all, Bridget," she says in a faint Italian accent, dismissing the housekeeper who bows and exits the room. "Now, I hope your journey here was well?"

"Yes, Mother it was." My father says.

"That is good to hear," the headmistress, my Grandmother Amelia, replies.

"I still can't believe that Alanna's grandmother is the headmistress here at Spence," Carrie whispers to Violet.

"I know. It seems too weird." Violet comments.

"It might not be so bad," I say to them. "It is just my grandmother."

"It still seems weird."

"Alanna," Grandmother Amelia calls, attracting my attention. "It's good to see that you are well."

She opens her arms and I walk up to her, giving her a hug. "It's good to see you as well, Grandmother."

"Now let me get a good look at you." She pulls away from me, trying not to wrinkle her nose at my t-shirt, jeans, black and white converse high-tops, and hoodie. "You do look a bit sullen, as well as not getting a descent amount of sleep. But other than that, you seem well."

Mom tenses, she has hardly ever been on good terms with her mother-in-law, and clears her throat. "Amelia, these are Alanna's friends, the daughters of our Council members."

"Ah, yes. Violet Matthews and Carrie Sterling, it is a pleasure to meet you girls." She says, extending her hand to them. "Especially you, Miss Matthews. I have heard that my grandson is your Warrior?"

"Yes, ma'am, he is," Violet answers with a smile.

"Then I sincerely hope that neither of you are causing any problems with or for each other," Grandmother Amelia comments. I bite my lip, hoping that Violet won't say anything rude to my grandmother.

Violet slightly tenses, "Don't worry, there isn't any of that, ma'am."

"That's good to hear. Now as I was saying to the parents earlier, Spence does not normally take in girls this late in age. But seeing how you are all members, I will make this an exception."

"And we thank you again for that, your majesty." Violet's father, Chris, says.

"You are most welcome, Counselor Matthews. I also believe that you three will grow accustomed to the Spence way of life, for you already being able to grow accustomed to a new lifestyle every time you move."

All three of us nod our heads, not for agreement but for understanding what she meant—for me anyway, I'm not sure if I could say the same for Carrie and Violet. When none of us respond, Grandmother continues. "I understand that you three are also advanced in certain areas of magic, which means that I am required to place you all in advanced classes." She gives us a long look over her glasses to see if we object. We don't. "Now, even though I am Alanna's grandmother, that does not mean there will be special treatment when it comes to punishment. You girls must abide to Spence's rules like all the other girls do. You must be polite and do well with the other girls. After all, most of them have been with us for many years, almost longer then they have than with their own families. And that is the way you must treat Spence; like a family, a family with honor, rules and _consequences_." She emphasizes the last word. "Am I understood?"

"Yes," we say in unison.

"Excellent. Now, tomorrow is your first day of school." She takes out three envelopes and hands them to us. "Here are your schedules. Breakfast will be served at eight o'clock and your first class will start at nine, which you will see on your schedule. After your last class, you will have two hours of free time to do homework and then go straight to the dining hall for dinner at seven. After dinner, you have free time to finish homework or do any other activity you wish to do. But you must be in bed by ten."

I stare almost blankly at her, trying to register everything she just said. Will I ever get use to this place?

"I'm sure you girls will enjoy your time here, and have a wonderful life after you leave Spence." She says.

_Translation: Don't fuck up here or else your school life will become a living hell_.

"Now, I believe that it is time to show these girls where they will be sleeping."

* * *

"This is where your daughters will be sleeping, Counselors Matthews and Sterling," My grandmother says after we make it to the second door on the right side of the hall of the third floor. She opens the door to reveal a slightly cramped, freshly cleaned room that could definitely be called lifeless and drab. There's a mahogany desk, a chair, and two lamps. Twin beds on either side of the room, next to their respective walls. Neither of the beds have a comforter or bed sheets placed on them, which explains my faint memory of seeing my parents bringing a bedding package with them on our way over here. Carrie and Violet walk into the room and start looking around—trying to see if it would pass _their_ inspection, I assume.

"It looks good," Carrie says, obviously lying through her teeth. "May look plain now, but we could make it look more regular to suit us, if it's okay with you, Mrs. Brooks."

"Yes, it is fine with me, Miss Sterling," Grandmother says. "You may do as you wish to the room to fit your standards, as long as there is no inappropriate posters or pictures placed in the room."

"Don't worry there won't be any of that," Carrie says with a quick smile, and slightly tensing.

"Good. Now, if we go further down the hall we will see where Alanna shall be sleeping," she says as we followed her out of the room.

"I wonder who will _you_ be rooming with?" Carrie muses.

"I agree with you, Care. Who _will_ be Ally's roommate here at Spence?" Violet comments, making a thinker face.

I shrug and continue making my way to my room. Five doors down the hall, my grandmother stop in front of a door—we've arrived. "We had to have some last minute accommodations added to your room, Alanna."

_Oh God, please tell me that she didn't._ I think to myself.

She opens the door and I stare wide-eyed at the room before me. It looks almost like my room back at our London mansion, while everything else is still the same texture as the other room. The walls have been painted rusty brown; there is a large mahogany desk with a chair, a dresser and a drawer. There is also an oversized window that has a view of the back lawn, the gardens, the vacant chapel on the hill, and the wall of trees that surround Spence. But there is also something else in here that wasn't in the other room; added doors. There are two extra doors in this room, as well as an oversized bed with two bedside tables on either side. This entire room seems like it should have been a regular room in a home, not at a boarding school.

_This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening._ "This cannot be _my_ room."

"Yes, it is. Alanna, I took the personal liberty to have this room specially made for you." Grandmother Amelia preens. "I believe that it is preferable that a princess should not share a room with anyone else, and have her own privacy."

"But that isn't what I want," I retort.

"Alanna," Dad warns.

"But Dad, this isn't fair. I wanted to share a room like all the other girls here, I didn't want to be treated different than everyone else."

"But you are not like everyone else," Grandmother Amelia counters. "You are a princess. You are different in many ways than one; you must set an example for all that look up to you. You must be treated differently. You don't have to work like everyone else and you don't have to worry about whether or not you are making enough money. That is the way things are."

I am about to say something until I catch Dad's eye and see him give me a stern look; warning me not to talk back to her. I take a deep breath, and nod my head to both of them. My worst fears were made today; I am now starting to be treated differently than everyone else—before school even started.

"Good, now you also have your own closet and bathroom, as well as an overview of the school's grounds. I believe your time here at Spence will be exceptional. And now, I will let you to say your farewells and have Bridget send up the Warriors so they may also say their goodbyes," She finishes, exiting the room.

"Your Majesty, we'll be outside." Carrie's dad says.

"Of course." Mom gestures to them, allowing them to proceed.

"Alanna, I know you're not liking how this is going—"

"Dad how could you? She's making a big deal about me being here, you've seen how she's doing it."

"I know, I know. But what can I do, she hardly ever takes no for an answer."

"Can't I just be home schooled in magic again?" I ask.

"I'm sorry Ally, but you can't. You have to be here until your powers are fully developed and that you understand how to use them wisely." Dad says.

"Ally, I know you want to be the same as all the other girls here, but with your grandmother being who she is, won't fully allow that." Mom adds softly.

"It just isn't fair. I'm able to look and act the same as the other kids when I attended Mortal schools, but why can't I do that here?"

"Sweetheart we know, but here people know who you are. And you must try to accept that, yes they might treat you unfair at first, but I'm sure that after they start to know you better and they will see that you are more than just a princess."

I stare at my mother, trying to let everything that she just said sink in. But no matter how hard I want to allow that, I'm still not able to see her point. I know that the other girls are going to hate me for whom I am, and now what my grandmother did probably added fuel to the fire.

A soft knock at the door breaks the silence between my parents and me. "Come in," Dad calls and I see Edward enter the room.

"Alanna," Dad says. "I know you are not liking how this is starting out so far, but I promise things will get better."

I nod my head absentmindedly and mumble, "Okay."

Mom walks up to me and pulls me into a tight embrace. "We're going to miss you, honey. We'll come visit you on Assembly Day and as much as possible." Her voice slightly cracks at the end.

I hug her back and bury my face into her hair. "Okay. I'll miss you, too, Mom." After saying those words, I feel tears sting my eyes and try to blink them away.

She breaks away and kisses my cheek. I see her green eyes glisten with tears, threatening to fall. "Take good care of yourself, Ally. And we'll call and e-mail you as much as we can."

Feeling a lump forming in my throat, I simply nod. I glance at Dad and see him make his way to us. He pulls me into a hug and I bury my face into his shoulder, trying not to let the tears fall onto his suit. But Dad never cares if I do anyway; he always says, "It's just a suit. It can always be cleaned. All I care about is seeing you smile."

He kisses my cheek. "Take good care of yourself, kiddo. And please, don't get into anything with your grandmother. I'll try to see what I can do about her."

I let out strangled laugh and nod my head. "I will, Daddy."

He gives me one last squeeze and breaks away. He clears his throat; I catch a quick glance at his eyes and see them glisten before he looks at the floor. "Edward, we'll leave you two to say your goodbyes. And we'll also let Tom know when he has to say his."

"Yes, sir." Edward replies, bowing as my parents leave the room. He walks up to me and whips away a stray tear with his icy finger. "Ally, please don't cry. I know you will miss them, but you will see them again soon."

"I know that," I sniff as I look at his angelic face while blinking back the tears. "But I also know that I'm going to miss you most of all."

He wraps his arms around me and I bury my face into his chest, sobbing quietly. Edward and I were hardly ever apart from each other, and now that I'm actually here at Spence, I don't want to let go of him. I can't imagine a day without him. Edward, with his arms still around me, starts to smooth my hair and press his lips on the top of my head.

"Sweetheart, I promise that I will come visit you as much as possible," he murmurs into my hair. "If it were everyday, then I would but I can't."

"I know," I mumble into his chest. "I still wish you could. We hardly ever spend a day without each other and now with me being here…I don't know if I can bare it?"

He pulls away from me, but still had his arms around my waist. "Ally, you know that I love you. And you know that you must obey what your parents tell you to do, even if it's for things we could never bare to do."

I look into his golden eyes and see the sadness he had for me being here too—and if it were, possible his eyes would be glistening with tears as well. I feel my eyes sting with tears again and allow one to fall. Edward grimaces, he was never liked seeing me cry; he mostly loves seeing me smiling and happy. He bends his head down and brushes away another tear with his lips before it falls.

"It's kind of ironic isn't it?" I whisper. "You are destined to protect me from anything and everything evil or harmful thing to me, and yet you can't protect me from going to a school I absolutely detest."

"Ally, please don't say things like that."

"But it's true! Edward, I feel like I would die if I'm away from you, and I think that you feel the same way."

He looks at me; his eyes look thoughtful and older with his gaze, making him seem older than seventeen. "Ally, you are everything to me. And it is true you are my only reason to stay alive, if that's what I am, but I do know that it's my job to protect you. But I also know that there are certain things that I still can't fully protect you from. Like Spence, for example." He finishes with his crooked grin.

I let out a nervous laugh. "I just wish you could."

Gently, like I am a glass figure, he takes my face in his marble hands. "Please, don't beat yourself up over for this, Ally. I know for certain that I _will_ see you again. And soon." He lightly presses his lips against mine.

I break away and decide to ask something that might get a negative answer. "Then, can I ask for something? May I have one magical kiss that would keep me content until I see you again?"

"Of course, my love." He kisses me again, this time more passionately than before. His cool, marble lips move perfectly with mine. I stand on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck as his hands rest on my waist.

We break away from the kiss, and he presses his forehead against mine, leaving us in silence. After counting twenty heartbeats, I decide to break it by telling him the one thing we both need to hear. "I love you."

He grins. "I love you, too."

"Oh God! This is just too mushy for my taste," my brother says, deciding to grace us with his annoying presence.

I roll my eyes. "You always know when to show up, don't you Tom?"

"Of course, it's one of my many talents," he retorts arrogantly.

"And what's the other one of your talents? You pretending not to be in the closet?"

"Not funny, Ally. You nearly got me in trouble with Violet for that today."

"Well you deserve it. You act like a jerk, so I might as well fun with your sexuality as payback," I smirk.

"I'm with the Princess on that!" Emmett says as he enters the room, followed by Carrie and Violet. "I think we should open a club called 'We love to make fun of Tom's sexuality club.'"

I laugh. "That would be the best club _ever_!"

"Hell yeah it would." He extends his hand for a high-five, which I gladly give him.

Tom rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Joking about me being homosexual isn't amusing at all."

"Yes, it is." Emmett and I answer.

"Okay then, who here would join their club?" Tom asks. All of us—excluding him and Violet—raise their hands, Tom narrowed his eyes. "You guys suck."

"Not as much as you do, Tom." I smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. Just do me a favor and try _not_ to be so much of a screw up and embarrassment for the family."

"Oh, I'm sure I won't be a major embarrassment like you, Tom."

"I don't want you to leave, Emmett," Carrie cries. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm going to miss you, too. But I'll make sure to come by often," Emmett coos, giving Carrie a kiss.

Just the thought of Emmett "coming by more often" makes me get a seriously bad mental image of them together. I shudder at the thought.

"Plus, it's going to suck now without making fun of the Princess all day." Emmett smirks. "Especially during the times where Edward would love to see her _ride _a horse."

I blush at Emmett's comment and hear Edward give a low growl behind me. I clear my throat. "Yeah, well too bad Emmett. Now if you don't mind, Carrie, Violet and I have a long day tomorrow and we really need to get to bed."

"What are you guys going to do to prepare yourself to go to bed? Have a pillow fight?"

"No!" All three of us yell.

"What? You mean to tell me that you guys won't have a pillow fight? Now that _is_ a shame."

All three of us glance at each other, but Violet and I are more likely to get Emmett than Carrie is. Violet says, "That's it, you are out of here."

"I agree," I say.

"Oh come on! Why can't you just—"

"Out!" Violet and I yell in unison while pushing him out the door.

"You guys too," Carrie say to Tom and Edward.

"Why us? We didn't do anything?" Tom asks.

"Because, I said so. And if your girlfriends are able to kick _my_ boyfriend out, I should do the same for you." Carrie pushes them to the door.

Edward didn't retaliate, but Tom did. "What? Come on! I don't want to go!"

"Too bad now get your asses out of our school!" Carrie gives one last shove and closes the door behind her. She and Violet turn their attention back to me. "Okay, Ally. Now that everyone is gone, I say we talk."

* * *

**Ooh! Ally's got some explaining to do! Haha, I wonder what it could be? Oh well, let me know what you guys think about this chapter in a review and if you have any question please let me know and I'll be more than happy to answer them.**

**Until next time, my faithful and new readers! (P.S. Please review!)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I finally have chapter 15 ready for you guys and I hope you enjoy it...as well as a special surprise, but the only way for you guys to find out is to read it. So here's chapter 15 and I hope you all enjoy it :)**

**And I'd like to give a special thanks to karma0be11e for beta-ing this chapter as well as helping me out with the ending of this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the _Twilight Saga_ or the _Gemma Doyle Trilogy_ they are owned and copyrighted by Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray respectfully. Although I really wouldn't mind own Edward and Kartik ;)**

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* * *

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_***~*Chapter Fifteen*~***_

"About what, Carrie?"

"About how you just suddenly became aware of what's going on in the world around you? About how you suddenly became so responsive in conversations again instead of giving one word answers?" Carrie accuses, folding her arms.

I stare at the floor, wondering how long they knew that I was keeping up an act for them. But should I tell them the truth? Should I tell them the reason why I was acting that way? How I was trying to be as normal as possible? How I was trying to forget about a certain boy who snuck into my birthday party to tell me something very confusing? How I would wake up screaming in the middle of the night whenever I dreamt about those horrid crimson eyes?

_No, I can't tell them_, I think to myself. If I tell them then they'll think I'm going out of my mind, plus they would be very skeptical about the idea of a human sneaking into a party full of highly trained Warriors.

"Well?"

I bite my lip, contemplating if I should tell the truth or lie. In the end, a mixture of both seemed to be the best route. "Umm, the reason why I was so unresponsive these past two months was because I've been traumatized from my birthday."

Carrie cocks her head to the side, almost as if trying to see if I was lying—which was semi-true. She glances in Violet's direction. "Is she telling the truth?"

Violet's eyebrows furrow, concentrating, making my breath catch and my body tense. "I'm not really getting anything bad from her, Carrie. She does seem to be telling the truth."

I secretly let out a breath of relief and relax my body. But Carrie still seems unconvinced. "I don't know Ally, I mean the last time something like this happened, you didn't say anything until your birthday and it involved something bad happening…" She paused and her eyes went wide in realization. "Wait, something happened didn't it?"

"It's true," Violet answers for me. "Something did happen to her, something…bad. And it happened during her party." I am about to say something, but she cuts me off. "And it's aside from what happened before we found you screaming on the ground outside."

I sighed. _I hate that power of hers!_ She always seemed to know when I'm trying to hide something. "Do you really want to know the truth?"

"Yes," they say in unison.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you'll believe me in everything I say and leave certain questions for after I finish. And that you won't tell_anyone_."

"Yeah sure, no problem Ally." Violet says while Carrie nods her head in agreement.

I take a deep breath before I begin. "Well, something happened at my party that I think you guys might not fully believe until after I tell what happened before the party. As well as something I left out from that dream I had before."

* * *

"Whoa! No way!" Violet cries after I finish telling her and Carrie everything—and I mean _everything_.

"Yeah," I say sheepishly. "That's basically pretty much what happened to me."

"I still find it hard to believe though," Carrie says. "I mean, this guy from your dream—who you kissed, no less—turned out to be the same guy who saved you from that weird stand keeper."

"As well as being the masked guy who escorted you out of the party," Violet adds. Her eyebrow rises. "So nothing happened to you guys while you were out there?"

"No, Vi, nothing happened. Besides, I'm still stuck on what he said to me." I sigh and run a hand through my hair—a habit I picked up from Edward that Carrie was never too fond of.

"Ally don't do that to your hair, it's very unladylike," Carrie grimaces.

I scoff. "And since when do you do anything ladylike?"

"Well, if you had paid attention these past two months, I've needed brushing up on my lady etiquette for this place."

I bite my lip, moving my gaze to the newly waxed floorboards. "I said I was sorry. I really didn't mean anything by it, but it just got to me really badly and I didn't know what to do."

"Ally, we said that we forgive you. So can you please stop beating yourself up over it?" Violet begs. "Besides, I agree with you, what that guy said to you at the party is very confusing."

"Yeah, what does it mean anyway?" Carrie asks.

"I'm not sure, but all these dreams that I've been having lately have seriously messed around with my head." I sigh and rub at my temples.

"Yeah, plus, thanks to those dreams, you look like you need a decent night's sleep."

"Gee, thanks Carrie," I say sarcastically. "Hey Carrie, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what is it Ally?"

"You think you could cut my hair for me? I've been meaning to get it cut for a while and I thought that being at a new school could be the start of a new hairstyle."

I see Carrie's eyes twinkle slightly at the thought of cutting my hair. "You want me to cut your hair? Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you are the only one out of us who knows a thing or two about hair."

"I know I do, don't I?" Carrie asks playing with a lock of her now short hair.

"So you think you can?"

"Why not?" Carrie replies with a playful sigh.

I squeal and give her a big hug. "Thanks, Care! You're the best!"

"And again, something I don't already know."

I laugh lightly and squeeze her sides, which causes a tiny yelp to escape from her throat. Violet laughs along with me and takes a seat on my bed.

"Ooh, Ally, your bed feels so comfortable," she says, bouncing lightly on it.

"It looks like it does," Carrie says, walking over to the bed and sitting on it. "Ooh, I really wouldn't mind having this bed." She lies down, getting comfortable.

"You want the entire room too? Because I seriously don't want it."

"I wouldn't mind, it's definitely a great way to sneak Emmett in." She grins. "But I can't, I have to room with Vi."

"Carrie, you hardly ever pass up the chance to be alone with Emmett at all."

"I know, but I think it'll be better if you kept the room."

"I agree with Carrie," Violet says, raising her hand. "It seems like the perfect place to hang out."

"As well as your own use of a private bathroom." Carrie adds. "I really don't want to share the bathrooms that they have here, especially if there's going to be little girls running around."

"Exactly! So why would you want to give up this room, Ally?"

"Because I don't want it."

"You really wanted to room with someone?" Violet asks.

"Yes, I really wanted to seem like I was a normal girl. Thanks to my grandmother, I won't be able to have that."

"Well, don't worry about what those other girls think or say."

"And if they try to say anything, Violet and I will take care of them." Carrie adds with an evil smirk.

Hearing my friends say that makes me feel something that I haven't really felt in a long time. Happy. And I actually feel a smile—and I mean a real smile—spread across my face. "Oh thanks, you guys." I give them both a big hug. "You're the best friends to have!"

"We know we are," they say in unison.

"Okay, let me go get my things that I'll need to cut your hair." Carrie says, heading toward the door before stopping to turn back. "Did you have anything in mind as to how you want your hair to be styled out?"

I nod. "Yep, I'm planning on cutting my hair into layers and getting my bangs again."

"Okay, and do you want the bottom layer the same length as it is now or shorter?"

I walk over to the mirror in the bathroom—which is exceptionally huge—and try measuring the possible shortness of the layer. I measure from where my hair stops at my waist all the way until it seems like it is slightly past my shoulder blade, inching close to being past my bra strap. Satisfied with the length, I walk back and tell Carrie the amount of hair to cut.

"Okay, I'll go get what I need from my bag and be back to cut that hair of yours," she says as she leaves.

"I think you made her too happy," Violet says from her spot on my bed.

"Yeah, I think so too. But, hey, at least that helped take her mind off of Emmett."

"Yeah it did." Her eyes look lost and thoughtful. "That's weird."

"What is?"

"You're feeling sad about leaving your family and Edward, but you're also feeling something else…fear? But it also seems to be a mixture of paranoia as well? I'm not entirely sure, it's weird how your emotions seem to," she interlaces her finger to demonstrate, "mesh together. And I really don't like it at times."

"Sorry." I give an apologetic grin. "But I can't help it. Ever since I got here, I feel as if I'm being watched. Plus, he also said something else to me."

"There's more to the 'history repeating' thing?"

"Yeah, he said that he'd see me again and I have no idea when that will happen."

"That explains the paranoia," she muses softly. At her normal speaking level, she says, "And you think that what he said is true. About you two seeing each other again."

It's not a question, only a statement to be agreed with. I sigh, "Yes. I really do believe that he and I will see each other again, but the question is, when?" When will I see him again? I'm not sure if I'm able to go back to India anymore. He couldn't possibly come to London, could he?

"Who knows? It is difficult to say. I mean, you dreamt about him and you definitely had no idea he existed until he saved you in India. In my opinion, I think that the stand keeper incident seems like total BS."

I quirk an eyebrow, catching on to what she meant. "You think that it was a set up?"

"I'm not fully convinced that it was, but, from what you just said, it does appear that way."

I chew my lip. What if she's right? Maybe it was a set up. _No I can't think of it like that_. _There is no way that it was a set up_. But then again, that police officer and stand keeper seemed a bit off when it happened. And when Kartik said that he'd came to "help" me, he seemed…practiced, like he'd done it several times before. "I don't know Vi. It might or might not be that way, but who knows. I'm not really worried about that, I'm just worried about when I'll see him again."

"And I don't really think you should worry too much or else it's going to be a major distraction for me," Carrie says, walking back into the room with her bag of hair products and styling tools. "Plus I can't really gossip so much when I'm trying to work my magic."

Vi and I laugh lightly. "Oh, and I would really hate it if you'd messed up on my hair, Care."

"Which is why you guys should try not to gossip in front of me while I'm cutting your hair." She pats the desk chair, which she placed in front of the mirror at the dresser. "Now sit your ass down here, young lady."

I roll my eyes, make my way to the chair, and sit down. Carrie reaches into her bag, pulls out a comb, and runs it through my hair. Once finished, she goes back into her bag and pulls out a bottle with a squirting nozzle. A quick trip to the bathroom, and the bottle is filled with water. "I'm going to wet your hair first so that way it could be easier for me to cut it."

I nod and watch through the mirror as she does her work. My hair and face fully soaked, she runs the comb through my hair until it is manageable. She then sections it out, to make it easier for her to cut, and holds it up with hair clips. A pair of scissors comes out of her bag next. Just the sight of them makes my heartbeat speed up. I say a silent goodbye to my hair. Violet notices this and gives a sad face.

"Aww, poor Ally, your pretty hair is going to be gone," she pouts.

"I know." I give a fake sniff. "I'll miss it terribly."

"Don't worry Ally, your hair will look awesome after I'm finished with it." The scissors make a snipping sound.

I eye the pointy object evilly. "If my hair is fucked up, I'll get you for it Carrie."

"Ally, your hair is in good hands. Trust me."

I sigh and numbly nod my head. _I want her to cut my hair_. _I want her to cut my hair_. I repeat the mantra in my head as the scissors cut the first bit of my hair. I stare at the mirror and see Carrie cut off more. After about two minutes, she lifts her head to look at me through the mirror.

"Is that where you wanted the bottom layer to be?"

I get up from the chair and look at the length. It is exactly where I want it to be, right past my shoulder blade and going a bit more past my bra strap. I nod. "Yep, this is the length I want it to be." I look at the floor and see all the hair she'd cut off so far. "Oh wow, I had a lot more hair than I thought I did."

"Trust me, there's going to be a lot more hair on that floor in fifteen more minutes."

I sit back in the chair and allow Carrie to finish her job. After finishing with my layers, she asked how I wanted my bangs to be. "I want them to be side sweep bangs," I tell her.

"Okay, where do you want them to go?"

"To the left." She nods and goes straight to work on my bangs.

"I just realized something," Violet says for the first time in ten minutes.

"What?" Carrie and I ask.

"These little girls are sluts!"

I raise an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Ally, you have no idea how disgusting their feelings were. So full of lust and need…it was so sick."

"And did you not see that those little brats were looking at our guys? I swear tomorrow I'm going to get them for it." Carrie fumes.

"I did see them looking at the guys—"

"No, not looking at them. They were checking them out." Carrie corrects.

"And what they were feeling was not good," Violet comments.

"And I really don't want to know any more about that," I say, starting to feel uneasy about some of the girl here.

"And now you know how we feel," Violet says, tapping in on my emotions.

"Okay, I am finished. And I must say this is my best work yet," Carrie says smugly.

"I'll be the judge of that," I retort, getting up from the seat and looking at my newly cut hair. My hair is at the length I wanted it. I didn't know how many layers I wanted but there were at least four to five of them neatly cut. And my bangs were perfect. _I love my hair!_ I smile and give Carrie big hug. "Care, I love it so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"See I told you that you'd love your hair," she says, squeezing me back.

"Nice job, Care. Ally looks totally different with this hairstyle. I know that she normally gets her cut like this, but it's been a while." Violet says as a small smirk spreads across her face. "I wonder what Edward will think when he sees your new haircut."

Before I'm able to answer her, Carrie cuts me off. "Well, he has to like it, I mean, it's her decision to cut her own hair. So he should be okay with it."

"Carrie, Edward will compliment all he wants on my hair." She opens her mouth to speak again, but I stop her. "And yes, he will like it."

"He'd better," she mutters.

"I can't believe that tomorrow is our first day of school," Violet says, catching our attention. "And I saw the uniforms. I already hate them."

I think back to those girls running past the parlor and faintly remember seeing the uniforms. "They didn't seem bad when I first saw them."

"Are you kidding me? Ally, we have to wear pleated skirts and knee high socks. I feel like I should go to fashion prison for such a horrendous crime!"

"Dude, calm down they are just uniforms. We only wear them on weekdays; we are able to wear our regular clothes on the weekends."

"I still don't like them." She folds her arms stubbornly.

"Vi, come on, you know that you have to wear them." Carrie chides.

"But still they are hideous and…"

I stop listening to their bickering and walk over to the window, taking in the view of the school, the forest. Everything out there looks so interesting, like it's meant to be explored; which is something I wouldn't mind doing during my free time from classes. I continue to stare out the window, looking into the forest, and absentmindedly finger at my amulet. Then I see something. Even from this distance, I'm still able to see movement in the forest. The feeling of being watched returns and my heart races. Who could possibly be stalking me here?

"Ally? Are you all right?"

I turn my attention back to where Violet and Carrie are standing and see their concern etched on both of their faces. "I'm fine. I am a bit tired, though. I guess it's time for me to hit the sheets," I say, hoping they will believe me.

They glance at each other and Violet says, "I guess you're right. It is time to get some sleep. We do have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"And I really need to work on that room before I get caught up with something else," Carrie adds. "Plus, your grandma is so mean. No wonder you don't really like to talk about her."

"Or how your mom doesn't really like to have much a discussion about her at all." Violet chirps.

"Yeah, Grandmother Amelia really isn't the easiest person to get a long with at times." I say.

"At times? Alanna, she is such a control freak!" Violet nearly screams. "We saw how she was when you wanted to have a roommate…she's just plain mean."

"And what's worse is that we have to deal with her for the next three years." Carrie adds.

"Well, not really three years, it's actually going to be two years. Remember we leave here when we're eighteen." I correct them.

"Still seems like a long time."

She's right. The both of them are already starting to see how awful it's going to be for the next two years. But is it possible that it could get worse because of some boy trying to mess with my life?

"Well, I'd say it's time for us to head back to our room," Carrie says, breaking me out of my inner brain rambling.

"Yeah, I'm with Care, it's already starting to get late and we start classes tomorrow." Violet adds.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Plus, I need to take a shower right now in order to wash out all the bits of hair that's still there."

"Yeah, you should. Did you see the pile of hair that's on the floor?" Carrie asks, pointing to the dark pile next to the chair.

My eyes widen at the sight. "Oh wow, that is a lot of hair."

"Yeah, but I'm glad I can do this." Carrie waves her hand and the pile of freshly cut hair moves from the floor to the trash bin in the bathroom, leaving a smug looking Carrie.

"Are you going to do that all the time?" I ask.

"Maybe, only during the times when I feel lazy."

"Which will be every day," Violet comments.

"Hey! Not cool, Violet," Carrie whines.

"Okay, I would love to keep you guys in here longer but you need to get out now, because I'm very tired and want to sleep." I say.

"Okay, we'll leave. But Ally, don't get any ideas about sneaking a certain vampire into this room," Carrie grins slyly.

"Carrie, when would I ever do that with Edward?"

"Hey, you may never know. Come on, Vi, let's go."

"Good night, Ally, hope you sleep okay tonight." Violet gives me a hug and follows Carrie out the door.

_I really hope I do_.

I go over to my suitcase and pull out two towels, along with a pair of gray sweats, a black and white baseball tee, undergarments, and my bag of toiletries. I turn on the hot water, strip off my clothes, and slightly relax. Washing my hair is a bit different with my haircut, making my head feel lighter and easier to manage. I am going to have to tame it with a flat iron—even though my hair is naturally straight—the layers would cause the ends to stick out in different places. Once finished with my shower, I dry off, hastily pull on my clothes, and towel-dry my hair.

Next, I brush my teeth, pick up everything from the bathroom, and make my way back out to my spacious room. I grimace at the sight, loathing everything my grandmother has done. I walk over to the closet—curiosity getting the best of me—and see in horror that it is a walk in closet.

I close the door in disgust and make my way to the bed, pulling out the comforter, bed sheets, and pillowcases from the packaging. I grab my two pillows from my duffle bag, pull the pillowcases over them, and toss them onto the bed. I am left with a bed that looks like crap, which is exactly what I'm feeling. I hate how things are going so far; I'll never get things seen my way. And this room, I can't stand it. _I have to get out of here_, I think to myself. _And fast_.

I pull out my hair dryer, plug it in, and do a quick over dry to my hair so that it is almost completely dry. I then pull on some socks and slip into my black lace-up Vans. I quietly half-ran out of my room, carefully descend down the stairs—without trying to trip—and reach the front door. I place my hand on the handle and weigh my options. If I go outside I'll likely get caught and if I stay I'll go mad. _I guess I'll have to take my chances_. I pull on the handle and make my way outside.

As soon as I walk out the door, I feel the cool night air hit me and start my way over to the forest. When I reach a safe distance from the school way in the forest I immediately relax and start walking deeper into the forest. I know I shouldn't be out here at all—I just hope that Grandmother Amelia doesn't discover that I'm out of bed and walking in the dark forest at night. But I can't stand being in that room any longer. I specifically requested that I be treated like everyone else. And what do I get? My own room—that's bigger than everyone else's—that has its own bathroom, and a walk in closet. Why is it that whenever I ask for something to be different, I never get my way? _I just can't stand it_.

I try to live an almost normal life and yet I never get what I want. If I'm the Princess of the Other Realm, then shouldn't I get what I want? I mean, my parents always have things seen their way; if they thought something didn't look right or was set the wrong way, then they would change it. Tom always gets his way; whatever he wants, he gets. As for me, I get nothing.

I continue to walk aimlessly into the forest, feeling more of the chilled air hit me. I immediately regret not bringing my sweater or hoodie. Instead, I just walked outside with just a t-shirt and a pair of gray sweats. I try to stay warm by hugging my arms around myself, but that didn't seem to help much.

The forest, however, is helping me relax. There is something peaceful about it that seems to be fairly eerie as well. It also seems kind of quiet, too quiet to be exact. And I'm starting to get that weird feeling that I've been getting all day again. But it has become one hundred times stronger by being out here. It's like I'm being watched. Ever since that fateful birthday in India, I've been getting these strange feelings—senses, almost—letting me know almost ahead time before something happens.

And I have to admit, it's sort of strange for me to have this added sense. My grandmother's side—from where she was born, had her children, and grandchildren—don't have active powers like most other witches and wizards do, because we still slightly have some mortality in our blood. But even though we have more magic, we still don't get special gifts. Grams believes that either Tom or I will get active powers but nothing has happened. Tom's almost pushing twenty, he'll become a full time wizard and stop aging.

And I'm not entirely sure if senses would count as an active power. But if they are, then they do seem to come in pretty handy. Although, having active powers just isn't the only thing to come remotely close to what I was scared for not having. Immortality. I mostly fear not being immortal. And if I'm not immortal, then I would be scared about leaving Edward some day. Just the thought of leaving him alone breaks my heart. But those fears were laid to rest after the Council discovered that both my mom and I have more magic and are both immortal. And, unfortunately, the same goes for my brother. But I just wish the same would go for Grams. She's half Mortal and half witch. So she only gets to live far longer than a normal Mortal would, but she doesn't get to live a much longer life like that of a witch would.

I stop walking and lean against a tree. I may not be tired yet, but I just need to stop walking for a minute. I look up at the sky and see that it is a clear night and that there are so many stars in the sky. This is the first time in a while that I've seen a cloudless night in England. And on the one day that I was absolutely dreading too. I start to get that weird sense again; there's someone behind me. Before I can turn around, a hand clamps over my mouth, trapping my scream. The other snakes around my waist, pulling me in and pinning me tight.

Instinctively, I bite down on the hand covering my mouth and elbow my capturer in the gut. I guess having Tom and Edward showing me a thing or two about fighting really did come in handy. I start to run, but I get knocked down onto the grassy, damp ground. I struggle, trying to twist and turn around to push whomever it is off of me. I immediately start kicking my legs frantically, trying to aim at him—if my capturer is a he—in the most delicate of areas. When I do find my target, I give one swift, hard kick and hear my capturer let out a groan in pain. He immediately releases me and moves off to the side. I slide out from under him and try to make my run for it.

"Stop. Please," a young, male, and strangely familiar voice calls. _Where have I heard that voice?_

I hear a match flare in the darkness. My eyes follow the tiny flamed light as it fills the part of forest with a lantern. The light spills out and catches the outline of broad shoulders, a black cloak, and a face with large dark eyes fringed with a halo of lashes. I can't believe it. He's actually here. There also seems to be something different about him, but I can't place what it is.

"You know, I've never pictured you being the violent type, Your Highness." Kartik says.

"Well, I would normally resort to violence, as you call it, to defend myself whenever someone tries to sneak up behind me. As a form of self-defense," I retort.

He's tensed and ready, for what I have no idea why, but it makes my heart hammer against my ribs. He smirks but that does nothing to cease the frantic beat of my heart. "Self-defense? Well, then, I suggest that you improve. It seems you aren't very aware of your surroundings."

Why is he here? He can't possibly be here to tell me more of what he said back in India? Still feeling my pulse, I try to think about the distance I have from where I am to back at the school. Will it take long for my scream to reach the school? Can anybody hear me from this distance? "What are you doing here, Kartik?"

His smirk turns into a smug grin, "After all this time I thought you'd forgotten my name, I'm glad that you haven't." I roll my eyes at his arrogant behavior, and he continues. "I came to talk to you, Miss Brooks."

No, if it's about what he said I don't want to hear it. "Talk to me about what?"

"I seem to remember telling you that history is to repeat itself" He takes a step closer. "This is the start of its repetition and possibly a new beginning."

I take a step back. "Why did you say that to me at my party?"

"Because that was the day where it all began."

"What began on that day? And what does this 'history' have to do with me?"

His eyes get a strange, unnamable glint in them. "Were you ever told of a place where you've never seen anything beyond your wildest dreams? A place that is of a great, and unspeakable beauty that you would hardly ever imagine to see exist? The realms? The Winterlands? The Caves of Sighs?" His voice is slightly huskier on the last part.

I give him a look of confusion. "No, I haven't heard of those places. I don't know what they are."

"They are important in history. Then and now," he says in his regular voice. "They were guarded by the Order, and the Order was protected by the Rakshana."

_Why do those names seem familiar?_ "Who are the Order and the Rakshana?"

"The Order is a group of sorceresses that are the protectors of the realms, while the Rakshana are a group of men meant to protect the priestesses of the Order." I am about to say something, but he cuts me off. "And how it all relates to you is because of your great-grandmother."

My heartbeat stops. "M-my great-grandmother? What does she have to do with this?"

"Your great-grandmother was a high priestess of the Order. Part of her magic has been reborn in you." He takes another step closer, causing me to back up until my back is up against a giant oak tree. "And I am a member of the Rakshana. I was assigned as your guardian two weeks before your birthday and it is my job to protect you." He stops three feet away from me.

"There's one problem with that: I'm not even part of the Order, so how can you possibly protect me if I'm not part of that organization?"

He stares at my neck and moves closer. I cringe back and prepare myself for anything he'd try on me. His fingers are at my neck, touching my amulet. I am so shocked by his closeness; his face is practically an inch away from mine that I almost believe he means to kiss me. _Where did that thought come from?_

"The crescent eye," he murmurs as his gaze meets mine. "It's because of this I know you are part of the Order."

As if I thought this night couldn't get any worse, I find out that this guy is my guardian to an organization that I had no idea existed. Although, the curiosity about my great-grandmother being a part of this is burning at the back of my head. "But how do you know about my great-grandmother?"

"I was told by my brother about the history of her, about how she brought on more harm than good in the beginning. There was a lot of trouble for the Rakshana and for her guardian. And now, things are going to change."

"You still haven't told—"

"Your great-grandmother was Gemma Doyle, daughter of Mary Dowd, alias Virginia Doyle. Gemma attended Spence Academy for Young Ladies, during which time she met someone that is another piece of the puzzle in our story. He was my great, great, great, great, great, great-uncle; they were lovers."

What? Gemma couldn't have been with anyone but my great-grandfather! "That's a lie! My great-grandmother was only with one man and that was my great-grandfather, James Madison, after she moved to America."

He smirks. "I see that the women in your family have been keeping secrets."

I glare at him. "If you're looking to blackmail my family—"

"I'm not doing anything of the sort," he cuts me off. "In fact, I'm trying to help you."

"Help me? Help me with what?"

"Help you from the danger that will come with this repetition."

I stare at him, feeling my heart hammer in my chest and the color drain from my face. "Danger? What danger?"

He cocks his head to the side and his body tenses. He whispers, "It's not safe anymore. I will see you again, Miss Brooks," and takes off running.

Feeling too overwhelmed, I sprint back to Spence. Darting past trees and running through the damp grass as best I can. Once I make it safely back, I slip through the door, close it behind me, run up the stairs, and race back to my room. I slide down my door, hugging my knees to my chest. As if my day couldn't have gotten any worse. What the hell have I gotten into by coming here?

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**Author's Note: *squeals* Kartik came back! Yay! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I also hope you have a happy new year and enjoyed your Christmas last week :)**

**Please review, and if you have any questions I'll answer them...again have a happy new year and I hope you enjoyed this last update of 2009 and will enjoy the next update in 2010.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! So sorry that it took me 7 months to update this story but I've been getting pretty distracted with certain things, as well as getting stuck at times with trying to think an idea and plan out how to write this chapter. As you know this is the chapter where Ally and her friends start their first day of school (probably already figured out why I had a hard time trying to write this seeing how I'm not a big fan of school) but I won't go into _full_ detail of the school. But I will give an overview of the class and how some of them are. Later in the chapter will just be not school related and might possibly involve a school girl trying to get away from the things that went on during her first day. Anyway, I'll leave you guys to read this and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the _Gemma Doyle Trilogy_ or the _Twilight Series_.**

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_***~*Chapter Sixteen*~***_

_Need more sleep. Need more sleep. Need more sleep._

That's what is repeating over and over in my not-so-subconscious brain at the moment. But I _know_ that the alarm on my cell phone is keeping me from sleeping. I sigh, and get out of bed. I reach for my phone, pressing the circle that allows me to see the screen lock picture on my iPhone before I slide the on-screen lock. I see the little message in the blue bubble on the screen giving me the option to hit the snooze button. I am _so_ tempted to hit it for another ten minutes. But, after seeing the time, I know I have to stay awake. I unlock my phone and then gently toss it onto the bed, not really looking forward to seeing anything on there. I glance at the window and see sunlight peaking through the curtains, showing that it's an actual sunny day in London.

_The perfect omen._ I think to myself. _If it's sunny outside, then I'm expecting for this day to go south._

I look away from the window and see mud and grass all over my shoes and at the ends of my sweats. Grimacing at the sight, I use my magic—which I am now able to use here—to clean them. I then go over to my closet and look for my uniform. Once finding it, I take it over to the bed to get a better look. I'm able to see that the uniform consists of a pleated navy blue plaid skirt—also looking like it could be a bit short for my taste—a white button-down blouse, black tie, dark gray sweater-vest and black jacket.

_Doesn't seem too bad. _I go over to my suitcase and take out a matching bra and pair of panties. Before even getting dressed, I go into the bathroom in my room and wash my face, brush my teeth, and straighten my newly cut hair—courtesy of Carrie. Once finished, I decide it is time to strip off my clothes and change into the Spence uniform. I slip on the blouse, fastening the small pearly white buttons all the way.

I already dislike the blouse and the fact that my over-developed chest seems to continue developing, causing everything I attempt to wear look too tight for comfort. I have always thought my chest and curves were a reason why Edward feels like he has to "chase" away every male that tries to talk to me. But, obviously, he knew what they'd always thought of me. And whenever I tried asking him, he's say that it was I wouldn't really like to hear it. My body is kind of the reason why I prefer to wear t-shirts, hoodies and jeans—all an attempt to hide it. But it is difficult to get away with trying to hide my body when I attend dinner parties or other social events with my family, seeing how I have to look presentable in front of _everyone_.

Now fully dressed, I groan at my reflection in the mirror. The skirt _is_ a bit shorter_._ _This is absolutely perfect._ I feel like such a slut with the short skirt. Sighing at my appearance, I work on my tie, and then I make my way closer to the dresser to apply make-up. I'm not a fan of foundation but seeing how I'd like nothing more than to hide the faint freckles that I have, I decide to apply some on. Once I finish, I apply a bit of eyeliner and mascara.

For some odd reason, applying mascara makes me think about Kartik. His eyelashes are long and thick—something I have never seen on a mortal boy. But, of course, thinking about his eyelashes makes me think about him entirely. Why is it that I always see him in my dreams? And now with what happened last night, I know for sure that I'll be seeing him a lot more than I would have hoped for.

What he had said about my great-grandmother…he knew things about Gemma that _I_ didn't even know—even with the little knowledge I have of her, he seemed to know more. I start chewing my lip, thinking back to everything that happened last night. Just about everything he said makes me want to speak with Grams right away to see if what Kartik said was a lie. To know that Gemma never was a part of anything bad and might cause harm to a place that might or might not exist.

It's taking everything in me to not mess up my hair and make-up at the moment for even thinking about these things. I am starting to get curious about the time and about to check it until I hear and see my phone go off—indicating that I have a new message. When I see that it's from Edward, I feel a smile spread across my face. I unlock my phone and see Edward's message:

_Good morning, love. I hope you had a well-rested night's sleep. I wish were there to greet you in the morning in person, but it seems like I'll be stuck sending my love through a text message._

The message ended with a smiling face. Seeing Edward's message causes my heart to swell with joy. I immediately start writing out my reply to send to him. Texting Edward seems like it will be the only thing to keep me sane at this place. Although, I would love nothing more than to have him here with me and tell me that I was silly to even believe something like this.

But it's not that simple. I can't tell Edward about Kartik. If he knew that a boy I met in India after sneaking out of my grandmother's vacation estate is stalking his girlfriend, he'd be furious. Plus, I can't tell Edward about my dreams either. If he found out about me dreaming of kissing another boy, he'd go on a killing spree. As much as I hate hiding this from him, I know it's the right thing to do—to protect Kartik from getting hurt by my vampire boyfriend, even if I might not like him.

After I finish sending my reply to Edward, I see that it's almost seven forty-five. I have fifteen minutes until breakfast. I pull on my knee-high socks and slip into a par of Coach loafers. I grab my jacket, slip it on, turn my phone on vibrate, and head out the door. I feel my phone go off and see I have another message from Edward.

_I'm glad you had a good night's sleep. And I hope you have a good first day today._

I grimace at the message—hating the idea about being here. I reply:

_I just wish I was home schooled in magic still and still attending mortal school in the States._

I send the message, and put the phone in jacket pocket. Walking down the hall, I see so many girls getting out of their rooms. And, of course, after taking a glance at me, they start whispering. I am never really fond of people talking about me. I'm told to not really listen to them, but I can't help it. I look forward, and try to ignore the whispers. Up ahead, I see Carrie and Violet make their way out of their room. Both of them already in uniform—with Violet grimacing at the outfit. I go over to them as quickly as I can without tripping along the way.

Carrie sees me and says, "Ready for hell?"

I nod. "Yes. I really don't want to be here."

"And I _really_ want to be out of this uniform," Violet whines. "It's so ugly, I cannot stand being in it any longer."

"You just barely put it on," Carrie counters.

"I still don't want to be in it. Plus, Ally looks tight fitted in hers."

"Don't remind me," I mutter, picking up my pace.

"You never did like wearing clothes that show off what you got, huh?" Carrie asks, following close behind with Violet on her tail.

"No. I feel like I have too much because of this," I say.

"But _every _girl would kill to have what you have!"

"And every straight male wants to nail what she has too," Violet adds.

Carrie giggles. "Edward gets pissed as soon as that happens."

"I'm glad to see you guys are amused by that." I continue to walk down the hall.

"Hey, it's better than us talking about how disgusting it is to see Violet and Tom get cute with each other," Carrie shudders.

"Please. I've heard and accidentally walked in on you and Emmett being 'affectionate' on more than one occasion." Violet counters, causing Carrie to gape.

"You walked in on us?"

"Carrie, you _need_ to lock that door!"

"_You_ need to learn how to knock!"

Giggling under my breath, I continue down the hall until I feel my phone vibrate. I take my phone out of my jacket pocket and see that Edward replied.

_You know your parents have to be here, besides being at a magic school will be a great experience. You get to meet new friends, learn more about potions and spells. Everything you could think of to have a great time there._

I sigh and reply. _I'd rather be at home and with you instead of being at this stupid school. I wish you could see that._

I send the message to Edward, looking up in time to see that I've reached the stairs. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what will be the worst day ever.

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My entire day went by so quickly I had no idea what happened at all. My first class, Spanish—which was also my only class without Carrie and Violet—was a bit tormenting and boring at the same time. Even if it was Advanced Spanish, I was still pretty bored by it. My second class Advanced Potions was almost the same, except Carrie and Violet were there with me to deal with the dull professor drone on about how privileged Spence was for having the Princess of the Other Realm attending the school. It took a lot in me not to commit a premature accident in that class with the pen in my hand. Next was a History of Magic—another class where the professor droned on about the privilege Spence had about the Princess being there. I would have had Advanced Charms but I was too advanced for it, same went for Carrie and Violet. So we all had training in etiquette how to prepare for our seasons—something I wasn't all that fond of. Next was Transfiguration (yes, the author of Harry Potter actually had _no_ idea that some of her ideas for classes at Hogwarts were actual classes for magic schools). The professor gave a brief speech about me being there and went on with her lesson.

I am now entering my final class, which, unfortunately, is another class without Carrie and Violet. Although, I believe this class might not be so bad without them. Intro to Equestrian Studies seems like it can be the best class to help me forget about everything here at Spence. The stables are said to be the new addition to this school, but I discover that they were built more than sixty years ago. Entering the stables, I'm bombarded with the smell of horses mix with leather and hay. A row of girls are standing near the entrance and talking amongst themselves. After waiting for several minutes, I hear the sounds of hooves and see an amazing tan mare pounding into the corral at full gallop. She slides into a stop just near the entrance of the stables and I see the rider dismount gracefully.

Her thick dark-brown hair is up in a ponytail and brown eyes. She is of average height and has a strong yet feminine posture. She looks at us and says, "Good afternoon, class. I am Professor Stewart, and _this_," she points at the mare, "is a horse." Her voice rings against the walls. "You are my new group of girls who are seen to be might possibly, or are, to have an aptitude for riding. The truth is no less than half of you last the year in this class, and less than half of those who do last will show their potential of becoming decent equestrians. Now, one thing I will ask of you girls is that you change out of your uniforms for this class every day before you come here. If you follow me, I'll show you what you'll be dealing with." She turns and walks into the stable with us following.

She comes to a halt and faces us. "Horses are not big dogs. Nor are they a little girl's romanticized dream of a perfect best friend." Two girls beside me fidget guiltily; Professor Stewart continues, "Horses are work. They take dedication, intelligence, and time. Now, tomorrow I will start you girls on mucking the stalls." After hearing that, I internally groan. Mucking out stalls is something I can't really handle properly, my parents usually helped with their magic to cover up the smell or else they would have had to deal with my vomiting. _Stupid weak stomach_.

"And I'd also like for you girls to meet my assistant who will also be helping you during your time here." Almost as if on cue, I hear footsteps approaching us from where her office is. I catch sight of tousle black curls and my heart immediately stops. He comes around into the stable and smiles to the other girls, holding his glaze a bit longer in my direction. "Ladies, this is Kartik. As I said, he will help you with anything you'd need. Now, for the remainder of the class you are all able to walk around the stables and be sure not to wander off or else Headmistress Brooks will be furious." With that said, most of the girls went walking out of the stables, a handful stay and approach Kartik—no doubt trying to flirt with him.

For some odd reason, just looking and thinking about it makes me want to rip him out of there and away from them. _No idea where that came from._ Before I even attempt to do something, Professor Stewart gets my attention. "Miss Brooks, may I have a word with you?"

I look in her direction and nod, giving anything to be away from this. I walk over to her and we make our way out of the stable. I can no doubt feel Kartik's gaze as I leave. Walking further out, we make our way toward her office. She opens the door, allowing me to enter first, enters after, and closes the door behind her. I look at her and she smiles, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy to see you again, Ally."

I hug her back, "I'm happy to see you, too, Aunt Piper."

She pulls back. "Isn't this going to be fun? It'll be just like all those times I showed you how to ride." She smiles.

"It will." I smile back. "I wouldn't think Spence could have a class like this. And I wouldn't think I could get into the Intro class."

"Well," she pauses, "I might have had something to do with that. You know how we hardly get to see each other anymore and I thought this would be the best way to spend a bit more time together." I'm about to say something until she cuts me off, "Don't worry, I won't give you any special treatment. Unlike my mother who insists on it." She shakes her head.

"Dad said that he'll talk to her about that."

She scoffs, "Trust me, my brother will do it but will be shot down in the process."

My dad and aunt are almost like Tom and I, except they _actually_ get along. "I can't believe that she's turning everything into something I don't want."

"Ally, don't worry, I know she can be pushy with things but at least know that there's a place here if you want a little getaway."

I smile, "Thank you, Aunt Piper," and hug her.

She hugs me as well and eventually pulls back, "Now, I know you don't have any homework yet, so I have an extra pair of jeans and a shirt, and you can go out there and spend a little time with my horse."

"That's perfect, thanks, Aunt Piper." She shows me where she has the clothes, points to the bathroom in the office.

I enter, take off my uniform, change into the clothes Aunt Piper lent me, and exit the bathroom. I see that she's not in her office and assume that she left to do something else. I remember to change my flats into a pair of converse, leave my clothes behind her desk and make my way out of Aunt Piper's office. Seeing that it's empty, I walk over to the stall where Aunt Piper's horse, Persephone, is and notice that her stall is clean. I see a brush on a stool next to the stall. Reaching for it, I turn back to the mare and begin grooming her. I instantly relax, there seems to only be the horse and myself right now. I'm so lost with grooming the horse I don't hear the footsteps approach behind me.

"Who knew you would even like horses?" he says behind me.

I turn around and see him. "What are you doing here?" I put the brush down.

"I'm your aunt's assistant." His voice coming out with an obvious tone.

"I'm aware of that. What I'd like to know is why."

He takes a step closer. "Incase you have forgotten, I'm your protector, so I must keep an eye on you at all times."

"Trust me, I'm already well protected: by my Warrior."

"Really? I could've sworn this was an all girls' magic school, doesn't that mean your Warrior can't fully protect you here?" A hint of a smirk grazes his lips.

"Th-that may be true, but I know Edward will do _anything_ to keep me safe."

His eyes seem to get harder and darker with what looks like slight rage. "Trust me, he can't fully protect you from what will happen."

"What are you talking about?" I quirk an eyebrow, curious about what he means.

"Meet me out here later tonight and I'll be sure to tell you." He turns to leave.

"Wait!" He looks in my direction again. "Does this have anything to do with my great-grandmother?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, Miss Brooks." He turns again, walking out of the stable, leaving me alone to think and process all of this.

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**Woo! So glad to have this chapter posted! And looks like Ally will have another late night rendezvous with Kartik. :D**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next because I am already cooking that one up! _Please_, review! They make me very happy and write faster! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: I know, I know. I am a _terrible_ writer. I am sorry, I've been pretty much preoccupied with some _serious_ things that I had to get under control in my life. So, I really hope this chapter will make up for it. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Gemma Doyle _or _Twilight._**

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_***~*Chapter Seventeen*~***_

My head spins as I enter my room. Kartik wants me to meet with him tonight in the stables and I honesty am not sure if I should. I'm not sure if I should see Kartik at all. There's just something about the idea of being with him alone in the stables past curfew that seems so…forbidden?

I scoff, _Of course it's forbidden. He's a _Mortal_ and a boy!_

If either my grandmother or aunt catches me with him, I'll be in big trouble. Then my father will be furious about hearing this but worse, Edward will be so upset. Although I would never really want anything to do with Kartik, I don't want Edward to think of me cheating on him. I know that I can never do that to him, but he wouldn't know that at all—and for all I know Kartik would just piss him off and make Edward think otherwise.

I sigh and make my way to my closest to find clean clothes. Once finding them, I walk to my bathroom to freshen up—being out with horses is one thing, but smelling like one, not good. After being nice and clean, I put on my new clothes and towel-dry my hair. Walking out of the bathroom, I advance towards my bed just to toss myself onto it. I pretty much plan on skipping dinner; I am not in the mood to eat. All I can think about is Kartik.

I have no idea what to do. I really want to just stand him up tonight at the stables, but then a part of me also wants to go and find out what he's planning on telling me. I just hate how he can do this to me. I don't really know him that well, but I can tell that he's already playing mind-games with me. In India he was so amazing when he rescued me. _Did he really rescue me?_ Now he's acting like a cocky, self-centered jerk. Do I _seriously_ want to deal with someone like him?

I look up at the ceiling, just thinking back to the stable. I'm not sure what to do about Kartik at all. There are some things about him that I just want to figure out: who he is and why he's so interested in protecting me. That is usually the job of my Warrior but now Kartik wants to be my Guardian. But I'm still curious about from what he's trying to shelter me. He did not answer me last night. He was worried about something and said it was too dangerous to be spoken of at that time. I want to know what that danger is and why I need to be safeguarded by _him_ instead of my Warrior, Edward.

I growl to myself, _When the hell will it be past ten so I can get the hell out of here and talk to him?_

I turn onto my side that faced the window and thought I saw a dark figure out of the corner of my eye. That figure seemed strangely familiar. I shoot up and look at the window, but see that nothing is there. _That was odd_. Why did I believe that I saw Kartik in my room? Perhaps I'm thinking too much about him. I should just give it a break and take a nap before I decide to meet up with him—since I _will_ be up late. I just hope Aunt Piper isn't even there to hear what might happen between us. Although, I doubt we'll do more than just converse…right? I mean Kartik and I would _never_ do anything with each other. He knows I already have a boyfriend and _should_ know that I am and always will be forever loyal to him.

_But those dreams…_I never stop thinking about them. Thanks to those dreams of Kartik and myself kissing and almost going all the way makes me think that they might have some sort of meaning to them, like there was something behind them. It isn't difficult to see that Kartik is very attractive but I doubt he'd want such a plain girl like myself. He just looks like the type of guy _every_ girl wants to have for _all_ the naughty business they'd think of doing—which I'm sure he'd _gladly_ agree to do as well—and for nothing more.

Just the thought made a cold chill run down my spine. What if Kartik doesn't want to just talk to me tonight at the stables? What if he…wants to…take me? I shake my head. I'm not that type of person to even agree to let a boy who isn't in love with me or in a _very_ serious relationship with to have sex with me. And I know it'll be _just _sex that he'd might want. There might not even be any intimacy at all. Which is why there is a difference between sex and making love. Sex: loveless. Making love: there actually is intimacy and love between two people.

"Oh, God. I've been spending too much hearing Carrie and Violet argue that for two years," I groan to myself.

That's it! I'm just going to sleep for a bit before I head out to see Kartik. Or maybe I _can_ just sneak out of here and be in the stables. I'm sure Aunt Piper wouldn't care about that at all. I get up, walk to my mirror, and check if my hair is dry enough for me to step out. Once seeing that, I slip into my hoodie, put on my Chuck Taylor's, and head for the window to sneak out. I know I am on the top level, so I use my magic in order to help me create a ladder so I can safely go down. I rush over to the door, lock it, run back to the window, and carefully make my way down.

When I feel the soft grass under my left foot, I hop off the ladder and quickly sneak over to the stables. My heart pounds with nervousness and excitement for what I am doing. The stables are empty and quiet of any human sounds. All I'm able to hear were the noises of the horses nickering and grunting. I do not see any sign of Kartik being in here at all. I walk over to the tack room and grab a brush, thinking that grooming my aunt's horse would help ease me until Kartik showed up. Upon reaching Persephone's stall, I open the door and see that her head was stuck in the metal rack that held fresh hay. She picks her head up and sees me. I offer a small smile and gentle pets while she chews away. Having the mare relaxed, I get to work on brushing her. I love how relaxing it is to groom a horse. I can't get enough of smells, the sounds, and enjoy hearing the gentle noise the brush makes against the mare's slick coat.

At the faint edge of my attention, I hear a faint resonance of the stall door. Assuming it to be one of the horses doing something, I ignore it and continue getting lost in brushing Persephone. A voice comes from the other side of the stall door; "I thought I told you to meet me here past ten o'clock."

Scared and screaming, I turn to see that it is Kartik. Angry that he startled me, I ask, "What the _hell_ is your problem? Can't you just say 'hello' like a normal person?" I put down the brush and fold my arms.

"Hello." I don't respond; I remain the same. He sighs, "I thought I told you to meet me here past ten o'clock."

"I was bored, is that a crime?" I mutter irritably.

"Only if you get caught," he says.

"Well, I didn't. For all I know everyone is too busy trying to get through with their own evenings to worry about me." I walk out of Persephone's stall and over to a stool across from it.

"I would think that the Princess would always have some form of surveillance." He closes the stall door and leans against it.

"I don't. That is something I would not allow to happen to me. My father knows how much I detest it." Although I wish he had listened to me about not wanting to have any special treatment while being here.

"Do you always ask Daddy what you want?" he smirks—a look that I'm starting to recognize as a test of my civility.

"I don't always go to him for what I want. I'm not like one of those spoiled kids."

"No, you're just the princess of a realm that I'm not too familiar with. But you also happen to be a _very_ rich, _very_ spoiled, and _very_ bratty little girl."

I get up from where I am sitting. "I am not a bratty little girl! You don't even know me to start badmouthing me!"

"I do know that you are in fact a witch with two very different types of magic that can possibly save or destroy a realm that I'm trying to stop you from entering." He stops, cutting himself short.

I can't help but have a dumb-blonde answer, "What?"

"Nothing, I have said too much." He tries to make a run for the door, but I sprint ahead of him and block his path.

"You said you were going to tell me. And I want to hear all of it," I demand, oddly surprised that my voice didn't tremble at all.

"Right now, I have nothing to say." He stares down at me, looking menacingly to back up his words.

"No way, you are telling me everything. Right. Now." I walk up closer to him, despite the fact that he is half a foot taller than me, I do my best to glare back at him.

He takes hold of both my upper arms and slams me against a wall. I feel the back of my head meet the hard wood. I let out a whimper from the pain and see that his face is a good inch away from mine. "Listen well, Miss Brooks. I am fully aware that you are witnessing visions. You need to stop having them and to stay away from the realms."

I look at him, confused about what he's telling me. "What are you talking about? I don't know what the realms is."

"It is a place far too dangerous for you. You have absolutely no idea what you are dealing with."

"Then what is it? I want you to tell me _everything_, Kartik. You said that you were, I want to know what the 'danger' you are speaking off is about."

He sighs, letting go of my arms, "The danger I am speaking of is that a new force is trying to take over the realms."

"And that has to mean something to me?" I'm tired of his riddles and never-ending secrecy.

"I was given word that a group your world is fully informed of is behind it. And only you are the one to either stop them or ally yourself with them," he explains.

"And I will not be informed of who this group is?"

"Actually, that is for you to figure out on your own." He steps back some, keeping his gaze on me.

"Well, how am I going to figure that out?" I ask.

"All in good time."

I'm about to say something until I take in the way he is staring at me. I can't help but to feel a blush creep up to my cheeks. His eyes begin at my face and slowly moves his gaze lower: past my chest, my torso, all the way down to my legs. Just the idea of him taking me in is so uncomfortable right now. I start thinking back to last night; how he said that our histories were linked in some way.

"I want to know something," I say.

"What is it?" he asks, shifting his eyes upward.

"What did you mean…by saying our…histories are linked?" I ask, feeling very nervous all of sudden.

He meets my eyes with an almost playful gleam mixed with a hint of lust. "You remember when I told about how our ancestors were lovers?"

I nod hesitantly, "Yes…"

"And how history is to be repeated?" I nod. "It is because of them, our histories are linked. We are not linked in blood, but in a predestined fate to in fact fall in love with each other. And continue what they couldn't accomplish."

I feel my breath hitch, "You and I…are meant to…f-fall in love?"

"Yes." His voice becomes strangely low as he steps towards me.

My breath starts picking up as I try to back away from him but I feel my back against the wall again. "Th-there c-can't be anyway for…us to be together. It's impossible."

He stands in front of me once more, gently takes hold of my upper-arms, and stares into my eyes. "Nothing is impossible, Miss Brooks. You and I are both human, both a man and woman, and there is no denying that you have an undeniable attraction to me."

"I never said anything about that," I breathe.

"You don't have to," he murmurs, "I can see it in your eyes. And for all I know, you probably even dream of me."

I let out a shallow breath, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know very well that you know what I'm talking about. You are quite fascinated by me, Miss Brooks." He slowly rubs circles on my cheeks with his thumbs.

I try to pull away from him but his grip is a bit too strong. My heart quickens. Kartik, who is so much stronger than I am, is being so gentle with me as he studies me. While he does this, I do the same. I look at his dark brown eyes, so full of what appears to be lust. His face, with high cheekbones, straight nose, and strong jaw. My eyes drift to his mouth—the mouth that I always think about since those dreams. His lips, the perfect shape of a bow, it's so difficult to not think about my dreams…and difficult to not lean in and _really_ feel them against my own. I start looking at the rest of him: his built chest, his sculpted arms…I can almost make out his taut stomach through his shirt.

Kartik catches me staring. "See? Even now you are starting to think of me in certain ways."

After hearing him say that, I start thinking of Edward. I pull away from him with all the strength I have and rush over to the stable door. "I will not be a part of this history. I don't want anything to do with it or you."

"Try to ignore it all you want, Your Highness. But you _will_ still be a part of it, whether you want to or not."

"Believe me, I don't. And I don't want to even be or have anything to do with you." I storm out of the stables and rush myself back to the ladder under my window. I climb it, desperately wanting to see something safe and familiar. I'm so relieved to be back in my room. Just want anything to forget about Kartik.

I do not even pay attention to anything else as I close the window and lock it until I hear a voice from behind me.

"Where were you?"

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**I know, I'm terrible for leaving a cliffy but that's what I'm best at :) _Please_ review! They seriously make my day, and I've been having too many bad days as of late :/**

**So, _please_ review and leave as many comments as you'd like :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: I know! I am a _terrible_ writer for this story! I am terribly sorry, I was just _so_ busy with school and graduation—just graduated from high school! :D—and lately I have been doing things to get ready for college that I haven't really had time to work on this. But I have, even though I would work on this late at night, but still get it finished! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Took a while to really get into for me to fully enjoy it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight Saga_ or _Gemma Doyle Trilogy_ they are owned and copyrighted by Stephenie Meyer and Libba Bray—respectively.**

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_***~*Chapter Eighteen*~***_

"Where were you?" I hear a voice say from behind me. A voice that is smooth as velvet and that I am drawn to every time I hear it.

"Edward!" I jump right into his waiting arms.

He catches and shushes me, "Ally, you have to be quieter, all right? I don't want your grandmother up here and ratting me out to your father."

"I'm so sorry but…I missed you _so_ much. These past two days have felt like two months." Okay, that _may_ be a bit dramatic of me to say but it _is_ true. I hate things here. Kartik. The school. Seeing Edward again is bringing me back to the life I want.

"I know how you feel," he croons as he lightly runs his chilled fingers through my hair. He pauses for a second, carefully feeling the strands between his fingers. He pulls back a bit, taking in my appearance. "You cut your hair."

I let out a small laugh, "Yeah. Carrie did it last night…I thought it would be a nice change to a new place like this."

"I like it. It seems to suit your mild punk side that you enjoy to keep to yourself," he chuckles as he plays with the layers that frame my face.

"I am not a mild punk," I retort, wishing I could playfully shove him like I do with my friends and brother.

He chuckles again and sits on my bed. "I say that you are. You tend to enjoy—on occasion—artificially ripped clothes, black nail polish, and dark eyeliner, and you really dislike wearing the colors pink, orange and yellow."

"That's because those colors don't suit my skin tone at all." I fold my arms in mock offence, making my way toward him. "And I happen to like dark colors—love black nail polish, too."

"And the artificially ripped clothing?" He quirks an eyebrow.

"I haven't worn that in a year."

"You know me: I never forget."

"Of course I know that." Unfolding my arms, I sit on his lap and feel his arms encircle me as I am held close to him.

"It was your first day today, wasn't it?" I nod. "How was it?"

_Well, my classes were boring me to death until I make it to the one class I was looking forward to having all year where I discover the boy that I lust over in my dreams—who also happens to be the same boy I made you promise me not to kill. And I just got back from seeing him and discovered that he thinks we are predestined lovers. I'm just glad I don't have homework._

"Ally? Was it that awful?"

I know that I hadn't answered him, so I quickly recover, "Boring. That is the best way I could describe my day."

Edward looks at me skeptically, "Ally, I know you tend to find it boring. But that doesn't mean you have to lie about all of it."

_Crap!_ I hate that he knows me so well; I guess I could tell him a bit of the truth. "All right, fine. There is one class I enjoy the most out of the rest."

"And which class is that?"

"Intro to Equestrian Studies."

He chuckles, "Of course. I heard your father tell Carlisle that your aunt is in charge of that."

I nod, "Yeah, she is. She was really happy to see me in there. I haven't seen her in so long."

"I could imagine. Her and her husband 'left the Other Realm' due to your grandmother disapproving of their marriage."

"And the fact that both her and Uncle Leo were hiding a pregnancy from my grandmother when she clearly wanted Piper to marry that Duke from that country I can't pronounce."

"I know I can but I won't one-up you by saying it," Edward chuckles again.

I roll my eyes and carefully put my face in his cool neck. I slowly inhale his scent, enjoying the smell and always loving that it's him every time I smell it. Just the comfortable silence between us is the most satisfying feeling to have right now. I want nothing more than to take it in as much as possible because I know that he'll have to leave soon. And when he does…I'll start thinking about what happened back at the stables again. Think back to how he held me by my arms, his face so close to mine that I was able to count every eyelash that rimmed his dark eyes.

"What's wrong?" Edward asks, examining what I suppose is a lost look in my eyes.

"I just…don't want you to leave me," I lie, even though there is some hidden truth.

Edward sighs and gets up, keeping a gentle but secure hold of me as he lays us both on my bed—while somehow managing to pull the covers over me. He gently brings me closer to him and wraps his left arm around my waist.

He kisses my forehead and whispers, "I won't be leaving anytime soon. I'll stay here all night and see you off before anyone can notice I was here."

I smile and kiss his neck, "I love that idea very much."

As much as I love having Edward with me, I can't help but to think back to what had happened earlier with Kartik. It is near impossible to not think about him. I should be extremely grateful that Edward can't really read my mind but I know I shouldn't really be thinking about Kartik in anyway at all—even if I am upset with him for what he _nearly_ did in the stable. I just hope that I don't talk in my sleep at all tonight.

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_*~*__Edward POV__*~*_

Ally almost immediately falls asleep after I begin humming to her. I know that she has a difficult time with it and, usually, her father would think about wanting to slip her some nightshade to help but none of us ever liked the idea of drugging Ally to sleep. Although, there were times where I did notice that whenever I was with Ally in her room and she'd try to nap, she'd fall asleep instantly with me by her side. And that's when the idea of me staying with her for a certain hour in the night was brought on. It did, however, take her father a while to warm up to the idea of me staying with her at night—seeing if my presence can possibly influence sleep for her. I'm not indicating that I am a boring person but it could be possible that maybe with someone she's so relaxed and comfortable with could possibly help her sleep.

Another good thing is that her father trusts me and understands that we'd never had any…physical activities between us. Except for what nearly happened on Ally's grandmother's piano in India. I can't believe what nearly happened there. As much as I wanted to stop, my body wouldn't let me and I'm not sure why. Was it because it was Ally's birthday? Or was I _actually_ willing to give into the…urges I've so carefully been controlling for years? Whatever the reason, I should be thankful of my brother and friends. If it weren't for Emmett dumping that bucket of iced-water on us, I would've lost control and possibly hurt Ally.

I understand that she's a witch and she can't die but the last thing I'd want is to hurt her. I'd kill myself if I caused her any pain. It may sound a bit dramatic, but that's how I feel half of the time with her. She is my _only_ reason for wanting to exist in this world and without her I feel like I have nothing. Of course, there is my family but it doesn't really fill in much of what I've been missing since I've known Ally. But now what really seems to plague my mind is where she was earlier.

Normally when I'd sneak into Ally's room, she'd be in there reading a book, watching a movie on her laptop, or doing her homework. But this time, she wasn't even here. There was a ladder directly under her window—making me almost believe that someone came in here and took her. However, that was near impossible because not many humans are capable of sneaking into a highly secured place such as this. So many things were going through my mind. It was a relief when she climbed in and I smelled the faint scent of hay on her. But now that I think about it, another scent catches my attention. It is a masculine scent that I don't recognize. And there really shouldn't be any male in this school aside from the staff. I sniff around Ally's upper arms—where the scent seems strongest—get up from her bed and walk over to the window. Jumping out, I land on the grass and carefully make my way toward the stables. I am hoping that her aunt doesn't see me, even though she likes me, I don't want her to tell Ally's grandmother that I'm here.

I even have to be extremely careful that none—if possible—of the horses sense my presence. The last thing I'd want is to attract attention thanks to a couple of spooked horses. As I make my way, I catch the scent I found on Ally. The scent seems to have been coming from the other side of the stable; I slowly make my way toward it. When it's stronger, I spot him. The male whose scent was almost all over my Ally. Even though his back is to me, I can tell that he is a seventeen-year-old kid.

I am also able to hear his thoughts loud and clear. He is too busy thinking about his recent encounter with her. And this was something I could not believe that I was hearing. So, he was the reason why Ally wouldn't tell where she was. I let out low growl and saw his head turn in my direction, and jumped.

"Blimey!" he exclaims, his English accent clearly evident. "You _nearly _frightened me to death!"

I let out a low chuckle. _ If only he knew how much more I could do to bring that up._

He cocks his head to the side and pulls back his shoulders. "What are you even doing here? There really shouldn't be any male students at this school." He pauses, and smirks. "Unless you feel like you're one of the girls here and wish to be allowed to attend."

I narrow my eyes and slowly make my way toward him. "I was just curious as to why _you_ are here? I am aware that this is an all girls' school but why is there a boy?"

"I'm actually here as an assistant for the Equestrian professor," he responds. "Now, back to my previous question: why are _you_ here?"

Once I was face-to-face with him, I am able to smell Ally's scent on him. Suppressing a growl, I answer, "I'm here visiting my girlfriend."

He quirks a brow, bringing back his smirk, "A late-night romp. Didn't think any bloke could possibly get passed the security here. But then again, you're no ordinary bloke, are you?"

I freeze, hearing from his thoughts that he's aware of what I am. "What do you know about me?"

"I know that you're a vampire who happens to be with a witch, who also happens to be a princess of another realm."

I was shocked. How was it possible that he knew about us? He's a _human_ and someone from this realm! "Who are you?"

He shrugs and folds his arm across his chest, "Just someone who knows a few things. Like, I don't know, that your girl fancies me."

My eyes narrow again. "What are you talking about?"

"Face it, mate. Your girl seems to be more interested in someone who is _alive_ rather than someone as ice-cold as you," he says.

"First: I'm not your 'mate.' And second: Ally would never go for a Mortal," I counter, trying to read more of his thoughts but all I'm getting is images of what recently happened between them. Ally just gazing at him hypnotically as he stared back at her.

He smirks at my growl, "You've witnessed our encounter, I see. I could be right on the idea."

"Listen: you may be working here and closer but I am _always_ with her in many different ways," I threaten and shift until I am directly in his face.

He meets my gaze and narrows his eyes slightly, "I look forward to the next time _I_ see her again."

I growl again, "Watch it," and leave. Rushing away may sound cowardly but it beats killing him. No matter how much I'd like to try.

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_*~*__Kartik POV__*~*_

Bloody vampire! If I wasn't any more careful, that could have been the end of me. And if it were, then someone else would have to watch over the witch. I lean against the tree next to me and exhale. I'm not sure how Miss Brooks was able to stand being near that creature; just having him three feet away from me was more than enough to make me panic. I am grateful that I kept calm but I hate what I told him about her. I myself am unsure about the situation. I'm not positive if we _are_ meant to continue what our ancestors couldn't accomplish.

No matter how beautiful she is…I doubt she'd want to be with me. I have to make sure that we really are not meant to be together. If we are, then I might end up like my ancestor. Being who I am is really terrible. I'm just glad that nothing happened to my brother and her mother; we're already tied in the history of Gemma and the first Kartik—the last thing we need is a tragedy between us. Which seems to be the reason why I'm acting the way I am.

I need to pass off like an asshole to her so I can't fall for her. But seeing how that's only making her intrigued by my behavior, I must change it. I must change how I am in order to stop this. If it works, then she'll never enter the realms and hopefully there won't be any unfortunate events. If not, then I am meant to go just as my ancestor did.

At least telling the vampire about how she was helped. He'll try to visit her more and that could distract her from asking any more questions. And with that, I might just live to see my nineteenth birthday and deal with the Rakshana for the rest of my days. The rest of my lonely isolated days. Perhaps falling for Alanna might not be such a terrible idea, she could help me escape the life I'm living and feel…normal. I am aware that is also what she desires as well. Normality. The diaries my brother gave me of her reveal how much she wants to ignore her responsibilities to that realm and be like the people she was around. The _Mortal_ humans. Thinking of it, we seem to be alike. We desire something we know we cannot have. Looking in the direction of her room, I think about her. Sleeping peacefully in a warm bed in a room that could be as big as a London flat. She is given _so_ many luxuries in her life that only other people dream about and yet she wants nothing of it. She'd rather deal with the real pressures in this world than have everything.

The idea is incredibly idiotic but that is her desire. A desire I'm sure no one quite understands. Then it hits me: her desire of being "free." If I try to relate to Alanna about her desire maybe I could see if there is anything between us. I may not like the idea of ending her relationship—even if it is with a vampire—but it could be an amazing plan to go with. Maybe this repetition might not seem like such a terrible thing after all.

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**Yay! I'm so happy to have finally gotten this chapter in! It took me a while to really get into both Edward's and Kartik's "mindset" since I've been so accustomed to making it for a girl. So I really hope you liked this chapter! _Please, please, please, please, PLEASE_ review! I cannot stress how worried I've been about this story lately and I'd really like to know what everyone thinks about this. So, please review and I hope to update soon :)**


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